Secret Kingdom Hearts
by BadButt94
Summary: What if Kingdom Hearts was made different? What if there were more twists and turns to Sora's complicated life? What if…? Warnings: Violence and cussing.
1. Notes

**The Secret Kingdom Hearts Profiles and Notes**

**Ke'Ania's Mood Eye Code:**

**Red: Anger**

**Blue: Sadness**

**Yellow: Overly Excited**

**Green: Happy/ Content**

**Black: Daring**

**Brown: Confused**

**White: Black State**

**Pink: Embarrassment/ Shy**

**Fuchsia: In Love**

**Purple: Sincere**

**Grey: Scared**

**Orange: Sleepy**

**Silver: Ruthless**

**Hazel: Shocked**

**Profiles:**

**Ke'Ania: Age: 14**

**Height: 4'7"**

**Birthday: May 8****th**

She arrived on Destiny Island by a mysterious power and fate during a shooting star shower. She is driven by her dedication to all of her friends and her love for Sora. Her past and her two best friends, Raven and Saedi, is something she intends to uncover along the way on this mystical journey. Her mood changing eyes make it hard to hide her emotions.

**Sora: Age: 14**

**Height: 5'2"**

**Birthday: January 12****TH**

Born and raised in Destiny Village along with his best friend, Riku. Along with their best friend, Kairi, they all live practically normal lives until Ke'Ania came along. In his desperation, the Keyblade chose Sora as its new master and wielder. Now it's up to Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy, and himself to save all the worlds from Maleficent and her evil minions and companions. A little on the naïve side, but he never let's that get in the way of his goals and good sense of judgment. Is in love with Ke'Ania.

**Kairi: Age: 14**

**Height: 4'7"**

**Birthday: April 6****th**

A kind hearted girl. She once too came to Destiny Island by a mysterious power, at the age of five. She lived out the remained of her days playing and laughing with Riku and Sora, but in the end she fell for Sora. Being the Mayor's adopted daughter, they were able to take in Ke'Ania, treating and caring for her like family. Right before that fateful night on the islands, both she and Ke'Ania confessed their feelings for the brunette… and so did the tension she would soon created between the two of them.

**Riku: Age: 15**

**Height: 5'4"**

**Birthday: November 30****th**

The oldest and tallest boy out of everyone. Despite being a spoiled rich kid, he still remained as cool and collected as his reputation says. Sora and he have been best friends/ rivals since they were in diapers. They compete for everything… especially for Ke'Ania's heart. After the islands disappeared, not much was heard about him.


	2. The Forgotten Fallen

**The Secret Kingdom Hearts**

**Summary: **What if Kingdom Hearts was made different? What if there were more twists and turns to Sora's complicated life? What if…? Warnings: Violence and cussing.

**Chapter 1: The Forgotten Fallen**

Our story takes place on an island, far away from its neighboring town. Surrounded by vase amounts of endless ocean, this island stands alone. A gentle breeze blew through the sands and palm trees of this island. The day is at its end as the sun slowly sets. Yes the beauty of this place is breath taking, but we must go under the island and under the sea too find our hero, Sora, as he slowly sinks towards its abyss.

"_**My job is to stand and fight with the one I love, but there are two. One I liked for years while the other was an instant connection. My mind tries to lead me to the one I've known for years, but I often wonder… is she the right one?"**_

_** -Sora**_

**Simple and Clean By: Utada Hikaru**

As Sora's limp body floats towards the darkness of the sea, the spirits of his friends started to float into his body. Kairi, Riku, Roxas, Raven, Namine, Axel, and finally Saedi. As his eyes closed, he could feel how much deeper the deeper he was falling into the abyss, until he reached a certain depth. His eyes shot back open, only to notice that he was back on the sands of his precious island. The sun blinded him for a few seconds before he turned his head to the left and noticed Ke'Ania was walking towards him. He runs to meet her half way.

**You're giving me too many things  
Lately you're all I need  
You smiled at me and said,**

Ke'Ania takes off her 'K' necklace and places it in his hands. Sora gladly takes it as he embraces her in a tight hug and whispers 'You're all I need.' Before she pulled away, smiling, before she said:

**Don't get me wrong I love you  
But does that mean I have to meet your father?  
When we are older you'll understand  
What I meant when I said "No,  
I don't think…**

Ke'Ania could feel some of Sora's weight on her shoulders before she placed her hands over his…

**life is quite that simple"**

When you walk away  
You don't hear me say please  
Oh baby, don't go  
Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight  
It's hard to let it go

As she removed his hands of her should, she turned her back to him and started to walk away. Sora could feel the sea rising higher and higher around his feet as he raced after her, necklace still in hand. He repeatedly called for her to stop, but unfortunately it fell on deaf ears. The further and further she got, the higher the water got until it finally engulfed him, sending him floating back up to the surface. Losing the necklace as well.

**Hold me  
Whatever lies beyond this morning  
Is a little later on  
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all  
Nothing's like before**

Once Sora resurfaced, he saw all his friends, except of Ke'Ania on the same sands he once stood, waving to them. He waved back as he tried to run to them. Sadly though, once he got close enough, they all disappeared, leaving Kairi there waiting for him.

**Hold me  
Whatever lies beyond this morning  
Is a little later on  
Regardless of warnings the future doesn't scare me at all  
Nothing's like before**

As soon as Sora reached Kairi, panting. She giggled before pushing him. He thought he was going to land on the ground, but to his chagrin, he started falling into the sky. He was confused as to not only why he pushed by Kairi, but as too why he was falling into endless sky. As he looked back at the short redheaded girl, he wore this confused look on his face as she waved goodbye to him before disappearing. He was confused about a lot of things, but decided to just relax as he fell. But just as he tilted his head backwards, he saw Ke'Ania flying towards him with her arms open wide for him. A smile graced her perfect lips as her 'K' necklace was reformed around her neck. When she was close enough, she used her slender fingers to caress his cheek before pulling him into a sweet and gentle kiss. He relaxed into the kiss as they started falling in the same direction. He grabbed onto her waist as she wrapped her arms around his head. They didn't say a word as they fall back into the deep sea, completely unaware that they flipped into an upright position. As they got deeper into the ocean, Ke'Ania and Sora interlocked their fingers and floated, perfectly still, backs facing each other, and their heads slightly down. White doves surrounded them and formed a giant heart around them. A green platform with Snow White on it, rested below them. Their eyes were half-lid as they stared at the platform. Slowly their bodies and eyes felt heavy. Their grip on each other weakened as they fell towards the platform, but right before they hit it…

**Sora's P.O.V.**

I awoke with a start. My heart was racing. My breath was rapid and shallow. I could feel as sweat dripped off of my body and onto the sand I was resting on. _"Who were those people? Who was that girl?"_

"Sora." I jumped a little when I felt Kairi's hand on my cheek. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I just had a _**really **_weird dream." I said as I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head.

"Well stop dreaming before you miss the shooting stars." Riku smirked as he hit me on the head.

"Hey! That hurt you bastard!" I yelled at him as I messaged my sore spot.

"Sora and Riku! Look! The stars are falling!" Kairi yelled as she stood up and pointed at the stars. All three of us watched as the stars fell from the sky. I smiled as I stared at the magic that unfolded before us. _"I wish I knew what that dream meant."_

"Sora! Riku! Look! What's that?" Kairi yelled. We all stood up and watched as the strange thing fell from the sky. It continued to fall until it hit the water. Not waiting, I removed my white t-shirt and jumped into the salt watered ocean. Feeling as my swim trunks got wet again. I swam and swam until I reached the place where it fell. I held my breath as I dove under the water. My eyes started to sting, but I had to find it. I went a little bit lower until I saw something floating. It looked like hair. I followed the long trail of hair, only to have it lead me to a body. The water was dark, so I couldn't make out who it was, so I put my arm around their slender and swam to the surface. My focus was on getting to the island, so I make sure this person was still alive. I swam until my feet could reach the bottom. Then I hooked my other arm under their legs, so I could carry them bridal style. "Sora! It's a person!"

"No dip Kairi." Riku said as he helped me lay the person on the sand. I got a good look at her face and gasped. "What is it Sora?" Riku asked me.

"It's her. From my dream." I replied.

"You mean the dream you just had?" Kairi asked. I nodded. I carefully examined her. _"She's just as pretty as she was in my dream." _She had long sandy brown hair and caramel colored skin. She was wearing a long white dress that covered her feet and matching headband. But I what drew me in the most was her unique white eyes. They were half-lid and motionless. Riku put his head to her chest to listen to her heartbeat.

"She's still alive… but barely. We need to get her to the hospital now." Riku said as he was getting ready to pick her up. Right before he touched her, her body started to glow red as she whispered something.

"Sora… help… me…" She whispered before her eyes turned orange and closed. I could tell she was unconscious… which also means that we were running out of time. Riku quickly, but gently picked her up, bridal style, as we ran to our boats and rowed back to our hometown, Destiny Village. We ran from shore to the hospital room. The doctors took her away before thanking us and telling us to go home and come back tomorrow. I called my Mother to come and get us. Once my Mother got here, she took Kairi home and let Riku spend the night. Everything was quiet throughout the night. The only sound in my room was Riku's breathing. I couldn't help, but stare out into the night sky. The moon and the stars were still there, but they stopped falling.

"_Was it because of her? Where did she come from? Who is she?" _These questions danced in my as I slipped into a peaceful slumber.


	3. Getting to Know Ke'Ania

**Chapter 2: Getting to Know Ke'Ania**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

When Riku and I woke up, we ate breakfast, showered, and got dressed before my Mom picked up Kairi. Once we had Kairi, we went to visit that girl at the hospital. We asked the receptionist where her room was and she escorted us there. When I entered the room, my eyes wondered to the figure lying on the bed. Her flawless caramel skin glistened in the rays of the sun that filled the room. Her long sandy brown hair was spread on the pillow and framed her face nicely. Her slender fingers were laced together and rested on her stomach. Her long black eye lashes gently brushed against her skin. It wasn't until I rounded her bed, that I noticed her ears were pointed and had piercings that went along the shape of them and her nails were a little longer and sharper than most girls'. Her form gave a sleeping appearance, but there was a slight doubt in my mind that her form's appearance was true. "Do you think she's dead?" Kairi asked.

"I don't know." Riku replied as he stepped beside me and stared at her. "Do you think we should check her pulse?"

"I don't think she's dead." I replied.

"Why Sora?" Kairi asked.

"Because the receptionist would have told us if she was." I theorized.

"Sora's right. Maybe she's just sleeping." Riku said.

"But what if she didn't know? Why don't you check Sora?" Kairi nervously asked as she hid behind Riku. I nodded as I reached towards her. Right before I was about to touch her, something shocked me. I hissed as I withdrew my hand. "Sora! Are you alright?" Kairi asked.

"I'm fine, but I think something shocked me." I replied.

**GROAN**

We all turned our heads to see that her body started to move. Her eyes fluttered open, but this time they were brown. _"I could've sworn they were white the first time and orange the second."_ Once her eyes were fully open, she slowly sat up and put a hand on her head.

"Don't strain yourself." Kairi said as she tried to help the girl sit up.

"Who are you guys?" She asked us.

"My name's Kairi. This is Riku, and I don't know how, but you already know Sora."

She looked at me for a minute before she shook her head. "I don't know him."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Where are you from?" I asked and again she shook her head.

"I don't remember."

"Maybe she has amnesia." Riku theorized.

"I don't know. I remember my name, age, birthday. I remember everything except where I came from and how I got here." She said with sadness in her voice.

"Hey Riku? Do you think that she's just like Kari?" I asked my best friend.

"Maybe." He replied.

"What's going on?" She questioned.

"You see when I first came to this place, I was just like you. I remembered everything except how I got here and where I came from, but thanks to Sora and Riku I wasn't alone." Kairi said with a smile as she sat on the edge of the bed and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. The girl let out a small smile.

"Hey." I said, catching the attention of everyone in the room. "What's your name?"

"Ke'Ania."

"Well Ke'Ania could you tell us _**what**_ you do remember?" Riku asked.

"My last memories were feelings. I remember having a falling sensation. Then I remember being engulfed in darkness, being warm, being engulfed in light, being cold and wet and then warm again." Ke'Ania said with confusion in her eyes.

"That's it?" Kairi asked.

"Well I think I'm started remembering…" She stopped for a minute before she practically jumped out of her hospital bed. **"Raven! Saedi!" **Something in her snapped and then she grabbed hold of my shoulders and started shaking me. **"WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS?" **She yelled with tears in her eyes. The strange thing was that her brown eyes wet from brown to red and blue and her canines were longer than most peoples'.

"**Ke'Ania calm down!"** Kairi said as she tried to calm her down. Tears stared to spill from her eyes and her shakes started to slow and lose power. **"Ke'Ania! No one came with you! You were alone!" **Kairi shouted.

Ke'Ania's eyes turned towards Kairi, now completely blue and wide. "What did you say?"

"When you came to the island… you were alone." Kairi whispered in a sad voice. Her eyes flicked from Kairi to Riku and then to me. It was if asking each of us to confirm, what Kairi had said was true. After I nodded, she lowered her head, her grip loosened, and her head leaned into my chest.

"Who are Rave and Saedi Ke'Ania?" Riku asked.

"… … They are my best friends. They've been with me since I was seven and I don't know how, but we got separated… and now that they're gone… I don't know what to do." Ke'Ania sobbed into my chest. I couldn't help, but to hug the frail girl. Strangely enough it felt right.

…

…

…

After our visit to the hospital we walked back with our heads hung low. The receptionist told us that because they know nothing about her and because she has no parents, she'll be put into an orphanage. We wanted to help, but we didn't know what to do… that is until I got an idea. "Hey Kairi?"

"Huh?" She replied.

"What about your Dad?" I suggested.

"That's a great idea Sora. Since Kairi's adopted too, why not ask if your Dad can take Ke'Ania too. I mean you always wanted a sister right? Well what about Ke'Ania?" Riku convinced.

"It's worth a shot. Come on. I need to find Daddy." She cheered. We ran towards her Dad's office to explain everything.

**Normal P.O.V.**

After the kids told Kairi's Dad, the Mayor, the situation, he was overjoyed. The kids and Kairi's Dad went to the hospital and adopted Ke'Ania. She had a smile on her face as Kairi delivered the good news. They took her shopping, made the guys carry all the bags, bought her a 'K' necklace, and went home to decorate her room. _"I'm really happy about what these people are doing for me, really, but I can't help but feel sad. Nothing feels right without my two_ _best friends here by my side. I just hope they're alright."_


	4. Making Friends

**Chapter 3: Making Friends**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

It's been a month and a half since Kairi and her Dad adopted Ke'Ania. Everyday Riku and I would help Kairi and the Mayor set up Ke'Ania's room. Her walls were painted blood red to match her silk pillows, mirror's frame that hung on her door, lamp shades, headboard, and alarm clock. Her white doors matched her Victorian style furniture, and speakers that rested on top of her black PS2. The rest of her room was drenched in black elegance. Her curtains, lap top, comforter, bed sheets, and flat screen television went perfectly with her red and white room. When we were finally done with the room, I remember the tears she shed, the joy she felt, the confusion and sadness in her eyes. She slowly walked around, letting her slender fingers glide, gracefully, over the black, satin comforter as she stared at the entire room. Her eyes, smile, and expression was gentle. As she scanned the finished room, she would tilt her head or crane her neck. My eyes watched as she practically danced around the room. Her every step was ten times slower than my heartbeat. Sometimes her eyes would glance into mine… that's when the world would stop. "So how do you like your new room Ke'Ania?" The Mayor asked.

"It's wonderful Father. Thank you… all of you." She gently smiled before turning to her black curtains and closing them. "I'm truly happy… I am. Could I please be left alone… I'm really tired." She almost whispered.

"Sure thing sweetheart." Ke'Ania's new adopted Father said before he kissed her forehead and ushered us out. I was the last person out of the room.

"I'm glad you love the room Ke'Ania." I said with my hand on the handle.

"Thank you for working so hard on it for me… I know you didn't have too." She whispered.

"No problem. Try not to stay in here too long." I smirked as I closed the door… but little did I know that this room would become her dark sanctuary.

…

…

…

Ke'Ania has been attending our school for a month and a half now. She rarely speaks. On our walks home I would try and get her to smile by making little jokes, but her eyes just stay that same sad blue. Most of the time, she would sit in her room, in her uniform, and cry. _"I feel so bad for her."_ I don't even know what it's like to be alone. Riku and Kairi have been with me forever. I bet I would feel the same way if I lost them.

…

…

…

A week had passed and Ke'Ania still hasn't stopped her routine. But at least I got her to smile today; even though her eyes were still blue… they were still beautiful. "I can't wait two weeks before we're finally free of teachers and these uniforms." I cheered as I removed my black jacket.

"I don't know. I like our uniforms." Riku replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, because you _**love **_to look up the girls' skirts." I laughed.

"Don't listen to this idiot Ke'Ania. I'm not that kind of person." Riku promised.

"Yeah and I'm a fish." I said. _"Truth be told I thought Ke'Ania did look nice in her uniform."_ The boys' uniforms, for middle school kids, are just a simple black, form fitting jacket, green collared, short-sleeved shirt, black slacks and black dress shoes. The girls', on the other hand, are more attractive. They have to wear a white buttoned down, sleeveless shirt, green and black plaid tie and wrist length skirt, green, knee high socks, and black dress shoes. It complimented some of the girls nicely, but most of them just show off.

**Giggle**

We turn our heads to see Ke'Ania lightly giggling. It was smile but sounded cute. "Ah so miss miserable can laugh after all?" Riku teased.

"I guess you finally got me." Ke'Ania teased back. I actually got a good look in her eyes and saw that they were a pretty blue green, almost gray, but not quite.

"And she can talk and tease too? Who are you and what have you done with Ke'Ania?" Riku teased again.

"Stop messing with her Riku. Be glad you finally got her to say something." Kairi said as she elbowed him in his side.

"Ok, ok I quit… but you do know what this means, right?" Riku smiled as he looked at us. All of us shook our heads in unison. Riku sighed before he put his hands on his hips. "This means that we have to celebrate."

"Riku's right. Ke'Ania, you have to get out of your room. Let us show you our world." Kairi said as she grabbed Ke'Ania's hand.

The lovely blue green left and now only blue remained. "Sorry but I'm not up for any type of celebrating." She said as she pushed passed us and walked into the house.

"We have to get her out of her room." I said.

"I know, but what can we do?" Kairi said sadly.

Each one of us thought for a minute before Riku got an idea. "The island."

"That's a great idea Riku." Kairi agreed.

"Then it's agreed… tomorrow Ke'Ania's coming to the islands with us." I cheered.

…

…

…

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

Tonight was no different than my usual dreams. Worry for Raven, Saedi, and my forgotten home crossed my mind. _"I've been crying for so long now… and still nothing changed. I want to go searching for them, but I don't even know where to start." _A part of me wants to give up._ "Without my memory… I don't even know where to start. But I can't just give up… they never gave up on me. What kind of friend would I be?"_ I sighed.

"**A bad one."**

I gasped at the sound of a familiar voice before shock turned into a smirk. _"Hump. It's been a while… Entée…"_

"**Yes it has… How have you hun…?" **She snickered. **"As if I didn't already know…"**

"_You always had to be a smart ass."_

"**That's just your way of saying you missed me. You never were good with your feelings."**

"_What do you want __**feline**__…?"_

"**What? I can't check up on my kitten every once in a while?"**

"_You only seem to contact me when things are about to get weird." _I said as I sat up in bed, seeing the little bit of sun light that snuck through my curtains.

"**Ok fine you caught me. I have two things to say. Which one do you want first?"**

"_You know I prefer the least important news first."_

"**Well first off… if you want to harness my power and become immortal… you need to find your mate around your sixteenth birthday."**

"_I have two years to deal with that… why remind me now? Are you in that much of a rush to become immortal?"_ I asked while looking at my alarm clock, that read noon.

"**Because I thought you would've started by now. That silver haired boy seemed interested… Or what about that brunette…? He's kind of cute."**

"_**I will pick my mate when I damn near feel like it." **_I growled as I folded my arms over my chest. I could tell that my eyes had turned red already.

"**Hey, hey no need to get snippy. Don't forget that this matter not only involves you." **She defended. **"Besides I wanted to remind you because your heart is starting to tell me another story." **She smirked. I hned at her response, but I knew all too well that it was true. I did start having feelings for Sora, but I was too wrapped up in my own sorrow to fully knowledge them.

"_Fine whatever… Next matter."_

"**About your whole memory thing… it hasn't affected just you, but me too. I've searched every part of your mind and I've found nothing. It's like… those memories never existed. We're at a lost in the search for your "sisters" and mine."**

"_Can't you sense them? I mean demon sisters must have some type of communication connection, shouldn't they?" _I frantically asked.

"**Yes, but remember that all four of us are half sisters… the bonds aren't as strong… no matter how hard we tried to strengthen it." **I could sense the sadness in her words. If I had to guess… she was hanging her head in shame.

"_There are __**four**__ of you?"_

"**Technically yes. You already know about Urufu and Kou, but I failed to tell you about my second youngest sister, Uma. To make a long story short, Uma was separated from us for centuries. We only heard about her once, but that was about it. But no matter how far away, from us, she's been… I still remember her energy."**

"_Really…? Well have you tried to search for their energies?"_

"**Yeah, but so far the search has been one big question mark. I can sense two, but Kou's energy is too out of reach for me."**

"_That's great right?"_

"**Somewhat. Urufu's feels as though she's almost over lapping mine and Uma's seems somewhat distant and yet so close together. Even though Kuo's energy is to out of reach… I can still sense that she's alive at least, but it gets a lot more complicated than that. Like I said… everything is one big question mark." **I heard her sigh before the sound chattering human voices came from the other side of my door. By this time I was relaxed, but sad… and now a sense of blankness washed over me. I couldn't tell, but I could sense that either both of my eyes were sky blue, or that one of my eyes was blue while one was white. **"That's my cue. I'll try to visit you more often kitten. Be good."**

"_Aren't I always?" _I smirked. Just as her voice faded, they knocked on my door.

**KNOCK**

**KNOCK**

"Come in!" I yelled. Kairi, Riku, and Sora strolled into my room, looking like they were ready to go to the beach.

"Ke'Ania we're here to present you with a proposition." Sora smiled.

"Don't hurt yourself Sora." Riku teased him before walking in front of me. "We want you to come with us to Destiny Island."

"And we won't take no for an answer." Kairi said with a smile.

"Guys… I would love to come, but I don't want to bring you guys down." I said. I wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth.

"_**PLEASE. PLEASE. PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP? PLEAE. PLEASE."**_ Sora and Kairi begged.

"Please Ke'Ania. I promise that you'll have so much fun." Sora said as he grabbed my hands. Heat rushed to my cheeks as I could sense my eyes turning pink from embarrassment. I looked down at our connected hands.

"_My hands feel so small in_ _his."_ I sighed in defeat before I flashed a small smile. "I guess I could use some sunlight~" I started.

"**YES!" **Sora and Kairi cheered, causing me to laugh.

"Here. It's a bathing suit I bought for you. Put it on and put these clothes over them. We'll be waiting downstairs." Kairi said as she handed me my stuff and rushed the boys out of my room. I couldn't help but smile as I sighed.

"**They seem like the perfect bunch to replace~"**

"_**NO ONE COULD EVER REPLACE RAVEN AND SAEDI!"**_

"**And that's why I like you. Not only are you spunky and daring, but loyal and true. You have a pure heart Ke'Ania… don't ever change that…"**

I sat on my bed for a minute. I wanted to cry, but I knew enough was enough. If I had any chance at finding my family… then that first step I have to do is stop crying and get stronger. I quickly washed up, brushed my teeth, and changed out of my green tank top and black basketball shorts. It was a two piece bikini set. Most of it was white on the bottom with green ties on the left side with white poke-a-dots. The top was a haltered. It was green with white poke-a-dots and had three gold metal circles that tied around my back and neck. Even though green wasn't my favorite color, I immediately fell in love with it. It wasn't snug and it wasn't loose. It was perfect. After I admired myself in the mirror for a minute I put on my over sized white t-shirt, green short shorts, gold sandals, and tied my hair into a ponytail with two bangs before I raced down the stairs. "Ready?"

**Sora's P.O.V.**

While we waited for Ke'Ania to get dressed, Kairi, Riku, and I sat on the couch and watched TV. We were a little bored waiting on Ke'Ania. Just as Kairi was about to go and get her, Ke'Ania came down in her new outfit. The over-sized white t-shirt almost covered her green shorts. "Ready?" She asked with her hand on the door knob. Her eyes were that same beautiful blue green, except this time they were more green the blue. That cheered me up a lot. _"I wonder if she's finally going to come out of her shell?"_

As I rowed my boat, I couldn't help, but look over at Kairi's boat. Kairi rowed while Ke'Ania gazed at the water. She dipped her fingers in the water, leaving a line and ripples in her wake. Sometimes, when I would gaze at her my heart would start beating fast again. Kairi, at one time, did make me feel, somewhat, the same, but never like this. I think… sometime while I was feeling sorry and helpless for her… I was falling for her. In total, the time I've known her was pretty long, but the time I've spent with her… was incredibly short. I can't help but feel confused. My mind says that I like Kairi more, but it's in denial. I always favor my heart over my head. I sometimes wonder if the feelings I had for Kairi weren't as deep as I thought. I won't lie, Kairi is pretty. I wonder if I was only attracted to her because she was the only really pretty girl on the island.

Once we docked, I marveled at the pretty green yellow eyes that belonged to Ke'Ania. I always wondered what kind of magic was behind Ke'Ania's changing eyes. _"Maybe I should ask her when her eyes remain that color."_

"Come on Guys! Let's go for a swim!" Kairi cheered. Riku and I stripped to our swim trunks. Mine were red while Riku's were blue. We jumped into the ocean before the girls were even done.

"Hurry up slow pokes!" Riku shouted. We stood in the water and watched as the girls undressed as well. Kairi's bathing suit was a white, strapless one piece while Ke'Ania's was green with white poke-a-dots and had a hint of gold on it. I looked over to Riku when he did a low whistle. I already knew it was for Ke'Ania. I think she heard because she started to blush a little. "Haha."

"What's so funny Riku?" I asked.

"Kairi. I still remember a time when I thought I liked her." He answered.

"You too?"

"Oh? So Sora boy doesn't like Kairi anymore? What happened too 'I will always like her.'?" Riku teased.

"I grew up… and then Ke'Ania came along… everything changed."

"So what, you stopped liking her before Ke'Ania came along?" Riku asked.

"I can't recall… but my mind is in some type of denial… I wonder why?' I asked.

"It's probably because you liked Kairi for so long."

"Yeah maybe." I sighed.

"Come on Ke'Ania! I'll race you to the deep end of the ocean! Sora! Riku! Tell us when to go!" Kairi yelled as she dragged Ke'Ania with her to the starting line.

"Ok!" I waved. As I started walking I noticed Riku just standing there.

"Sora." I slowly turned towards Riku. "Are we showing Ke'Ania the cave?" He asked.

"Of course." I replied.

…

…

…

The whole day was full of laughing and playing. It seemed as though Ke'Ania was a part of our lives forever. The fact that her eyes never returned to that sad blue made me feel so much better. I'm just glad she came out of that depressed state… even if it was just for today. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't jealous on the few occasions he flirted with her. Including the time when we showed her our secret cave. Finally I got sick of it, so I challenged him to a duel. He agreed. The terms… whoever wins get to share a Paopu with Ke'Ania. We stood in front of the ocean, wooden swords in our hands. We stared at each other and just as we were about to fight Ke'Ania and Kairi came out to watch. "Hey guys what are you doing?" Ke'Ania asked.

"This is how they settle their differences." Kairi sighed.

"Oh, I wanna join!" Ke'Ania cheered.

"You can fight?" All of us asked.

"Of course. Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't fight." Ke'Ania replied.

"Ok fine. Whoever wins… goes against Ke'Ania." Riku said.

"Fine by me." I agreed. And then the fight started. I fought hard, but in the end Riku came out on top. _"Like always."_ I sighed as I handed Ke'Ania my sword.

"Is there another sword around here?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Why, you don't like the one I gave you?" I asked.

"No, it's just that I always fight with two instead of one." She confessed. I nodded as I raced off to go and get one of the spare ones we kept in the shade.

"Here you go." I said as I handed her the sword.

"Thank you." She nodded before she took her place.

"**GO KE'ANIA!" **Kairi cheered.

"No holding back Riku." Ke'Ania smirked and for the first time… I thought I saw one of Ke'Ania's eyes turn black.

"Daring are we? Fine. You asked for it." Riku challenged as he raced toward Ke'Ania. She stood her ground and right when Riku was about to hit her, she side stepped him and struck. It was so weird. I never saw anyone, let alone a girl, beat Riku in anything. When it was over, Riku collapsed in the sand and Ke'Ania was standing, tall and proud, over him.

"Whoa! We never know **ANYBODY** could defeat Riku before!" I cheered.

"You were great!" Kairi cheered.

"Thanks. You going to be ok Riku?" Ke'Ania asked as she helped Riku up with a smile.

"Yeah. Those were some awesome fighting skills…" Riku complimented.

"Thanks." Ke'Ania smiled.

…

…

…

After the fight, we walked to the bent tree and watched the sunset. I sat on the far edge of the tree, under the leaves, Ke'Ania sat next to me, with green eyes and a small smile, Riku was standing next to Ke'Ania while leaning against the tree with his arms over his chest, and Kairi was sitting on the edge touching her toes. Strange… now that I look at her… she reminds me of an innocent child. None of us talked until I broke it. "Hey Ke'Ania?"

"Yes?" She answered as she turned towards me.

"How did you know how to fight so well?" I asked. She smiled before turning back toward the setting sun.

"Well, I remember Saedi, Raven, and I would have fights like that all the time. I was always the best fighter with my two wooden swords. Raven used the same type of weapons as me, but her fighting style was different from mine. She used all these really cool flips and kicks and moves and stuff. Saedi on the other hand would use these two freebies like weapons. I remember she would put paperclips through some holes she made, almost like a chain, and then she would super glue pinecones to both the freebies and the paper clips. She made it so it would never come apart, but whenever she would fight us, she rarely twirled it by the paperclips, but both Raven and I would love it when she did. Saedi was always so cool and smart. Before she even put the paper clips on her freebies, she would throw them around and they would always come back. Saedi was smart like that. She always was… Both of Raven and Saedi were like my idols. I would train for days, hours, weeks, months until I was just as good as them. Imagine their faces when I finally defeated them. I felt unstoppable as long as I had them and my weapons." Ke'Ania said as she smiled.

The story Ke'Ania told us was inspiring. Ke'Ania must have really loved them. They remind me of Riku, Kairi, and me. I wonder if they do the same thing we're doing right now? "Did you ever watch the sunset with your friends?" I asked.

"… Yeah. All the time, just like this. It was so much fun. Although where we watched it… I do not remember. Except…" She stopped as her face crunched into a focusing fashion.

"What is it Ke'Ania?" Kairi asked.

"I remembered!" She shouted before she jumped off the miniature island and landed in the water. We raced to the edge to see if she was ok. I heard her groan in pain as she lied in the water. I was about to jump down and help her, but Riku beat me to her.

"Are you crazy?" Riku said as he scooped her into his arms bridal-style.

"Are you ok Ke'Ania?" Kairi said as we climbed down and ran to them. When I saw her eyes, they were green and yet she had tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "Ke'Ania?"

"I remember. I remember the sand, the beach I remember it because that was the day that we decided to be sisters. One day, I told Saedi and Raven that I didn't need them anymore, now that I stronger then both of them. They got mad at me and didn't talk to me for days until one day some girls were picking on me and calling me names. I tried to fight them, but I was out numbered… so I ran. I ran all the way to the beach and hurt my ankle like I just did. I cried for a few minutes before I confessed that I really did need them. When they heard me and forgave me after they fixed my ankle all while watching the sunset. From that day forward… we became sisters." Ke'Ania said as her face remained the same.

"You know what Ke'Ania?" Riku said as he tightened his grip on Ke'Ania. "We're going to help you get back to where ever you came from."

"Really?" Ke'Ania said with hope in her eyes.

"Of course. And who knows, maybe we'll find Kairi's home too." Riku said with a smile.

"And since its Sunday tomorrow, we can start working on the raft than." Kairi cheered. "Come on Riku, let's get the boats."

"Right. Here Sora. We'll be right back." Riku said as he put Ke'Ania on my back. I had a good grip around her as her arms laced around my neck. I almost jumped from the contact of her impossibly smooth skin. Both of our heads turned to the remainder of the sun.

"Sora?" She called.

"Do you think that we could really find my home?" Her gentle voice asked.

"Of course I do! Don't worry Ke'Ania… we'll get you home." I promised. I gasped when her arms tightened a little around my neck.

"Thank you." She whispered in my neck. I nodded in response.

"**COME ON SORA!"** Both Riku and Kairi called to me.

"**COMING!" **My grip tightened as I started to walk over to my two best friends. _"We have to get her home… I don't want to see her sad anymore."_


	5. Ready to Set Sail

**Chapter 4: Ready to Set Sail: Next Stop… Adventure Land**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

When my alarm clock went off I was so happy. Not only was today my day at school, but today is also our last day for preparations on the raft. A lot has happened over the past two weeks. My ankle healed a long time ago, but I did enjoyed being carried around by the boys. I just finished the laces on my shoes before I met Kairi, Riku and Sora at the door.

School was a little long, but I didn't care. Although I kept having a strange feeling… _"Did I forget something?"_

"**Kitten, emergency meeting."**

"Uh, I have to go and get something. I'll meet you guys there." I nervously laughed as I ran inside the house. I trotted to my bedroom and shut the door. I stood in front of the mirror. I gently put my fingers on the surface and waited until the image of Entée appeared in front of me. I almost jumped when she appeared in front of me. _"It really has been to long."_ The demon before me, was actually a lot bigger, but only stood eye level with me. Four puffy, sharp tails swayed behind her. Her body was that of a common house cat, but more terrifying. Four, purple lightning shaped marks were imprinted under each eye. Both her silver eyes glistened in the sunlight that filled my room. Her smile, to anyone else made their blood run cold, but went unfazed by me, showed her enlarge fangs. As I looked into her eyes, I couldn't help but smirk. "Showing me my future Entée?"

"**I always could, but I got bored with trying to scare you. I think I pushed my boundaries when I showed you what your version of me would've been."**

"That was scary and less angry I get, less angry the less chance I have of you escaping."

"… **Anyway, I have something important to discuss with you."**

"Shot."

"… … **I'm going to have to leave you for about a year and a half."**

"What do you mean you're leaving?"

"**As in for the next year and a half, I'm going to exit your body so I can go and do some research on what is to be coming." **She said as she folded her paws over her chest.

"What's supposed to be coming?"

She didn't say anything as she collected her thoughts. _"Strange, no matter how in touch we maybe with each other… our thoughts were always separated."_

"**I'm not entirely sure. I just know that it's a big threat. Be on your guard at all times. I don't know when it's coming, I don't know what will happen… hell I don't even know what **_**IT **_**is, but I do at least know one thing…"**

"What's that?"

She smiled as she reached out and put her paw on my shoulder. **"It's nothing you can't handle. Here I made you a present… You're going to thank me for this later."** She said as she spun her paw around in a circle to make a white box, with a red ribbon appear in front of me.

I took the box out of thin air and held it in my hands. "What's this?"

"**Open it and find out. Oh and by the way… The thing coming is going to be, of course, nothing you ever faced. That means that it'll be dangerous so I'm leaving about eighty percent of my power with you to use, and don't worry, if my sprit isn't here, my powers will still be just as effective, but no matter how stressful the situation my get… you won't be able to transform so don't worry about that. Good luck. Don't lose sight of what is destined of you. And if you're confused… everything will make sense in the end. See you in a year and a half… Be good kitten." **She smiled.

"Without you… I think I can manage." I laughed. She disappeared with a smirk on her face. I could feel as her sprit left my body, but her powers still surged through me… It was as if she never left, even though I just felt it.

Deciding to leave it alone, I opened the box and gasped at what I saw. It was a brand new outfit. Inside was a red, low cut tank top laying on top of a white half, hooded, no sleeved jacket, red headband, red shorts that looked folded at the bottom, red high top tennis shoes with white laces, white tie able belt, and long, white socks. I couldn't believe that Entée would give me something like this. Not wasting any more time, I stripped myself of my old uniform and changed into my new outfit. The shorts stopped at my wrists, the socks came up to my knees, I left the jacket opened, and the jacket stopped just under my breast. I laced up my shoes and raced out the door to the beach, where my boat waited for me.

…

…

…

When I arrived on the island, I immediately ran to where we built the raft. Kairi was there making something and the boys were missing. "Hey Kairi, what are you making?" When I stood next to Kairi, she and I stood eye to eye. "_Which means that Sora was about three inches and Riku was about five inches taller than us._ _So not fair."_

"Oh hey Ke'Ania I was just~ **WHOA! **Ke'Ania… where did you get that cute outfit?" She asked.

"I think Dad bought it for me."

"Well it's really cute."

"Thanks." I smiled. "So what are you making?" I said as I got a closer look.

"It's a lucky charm sailors used to make before going on a long journey. Rumor has it… that if someone doesn't make one of these before sailing… then bad things will happen to the whole crew. So that's why I'm making us one." She said with a smile.

"Wants some help?" I offered.

"No thanks. I'm done now." She politely rejected.

"Hey where are the boys?" I asked while looking around.

"Racing, what else." She giggled. "Come on, let's get some more supplies." I nodded as we started to walk off. It was quiet until Kairi decided to ask me a question. "Hey Ke'Ania?"

"Yeah?"

"… Do you like Sora?" She asked me. Heat rushed to my face as my eyes turned pink. Not wanting her too see, I turned away and kept walking. "I thought so. Can I tell you a secret?" I nodded as she looked around. "I like him too." She confessed. "But, don't worry… Nothing will ruin our friendship/sistership."

"Agreed." I said as we hugged each other before continuing on with our mission. Once we got our supplies, we headed back to the raft to see Riku and Sora working on it. "Glad to see that both of you _**finally **_decided to _**actually **_do some work." I teased.

"Excuse me? I would like to know what you were up to the whole you were missing?" Riku teased back. I laughed when I hit him in the head.

"You should never question a lady about her personal agenda." I informed.

"Hey Ke'Ania." Sora cheered.

"Hey Sora."

"Where did you get those clothes? They're really nice." He complimented.

I couldn't help but blush when he said that. I tried to use my bangs to hide my, now changed, pink eyes. "Dad bought them for her. Now quit asking questions you lazy bum." Kairi commanded as she pushed Sora back to the raft. We laughed and played the rest of the day until sunset.

We walked back to the miniature island and watched our final sunset on this island… that is until we get back. "Everyone ready for tomorrow?" Riku asked.

"Yep." Everyone cheered.

"I'm still a little nervous." I confessed.

"Don't worry Ke'Ania. Everything will be fine. Just stay by me. I'll protect you." Riku cheered.

"No I want to protect Ke'Ania." Sora argued.

"You're too weak." Riku teased Sora.

"**NO I'M NOT!"** Sora yelled back.

"**BOYS!"** I yelled to get their attention. "How about we protect each other? Each one of us has the ability to do that, right?" Everyone agreed and the boys apologized. "Good. Now let's go home and get ready to pack. We have a big day ahead of us." I said as I jumped off the tree and started to walk away.

"Hey Ke'Ania." Sora called to me. "… When we get to your home world… will you stay there?" He nervously asked.

I couldn't help but giggle at his concern. I reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about. When I get home, I'm going to find Raven and Saedi and convince them to come back here with me." I said with a smile before turning away from the rest of the group. _"We weren't wanted there anyway."_

…

…

…

After arriving home, Kairi and I went to our rooms to pack immediately. I was done with my packing first, so I changed into my pajamas and said my goodnights before slipping under the covers.

My dreams were filled with happiness until something dark entered them, causing me to wake up in a cold sweat. When I reentered my room, I noticed that there was a storm hanging over the island. "Shit. The raft." I quickly redressed in my red and white outfit and raced to the beach, hopped into my boat and sailed to the island.

…

…

…

When I arrived, I noticed that Kairi's boat was already here. I raced off to find her tugging the boat to a safe place. "Kairi!"

"Ke'Ania! Come quick I need your help!" She yelled. I rushed over and tried to help her, but the winds and water were too fierce. The raft came apart and the supplies was scattered. My hair and clothes whipped with the wind and against my body violently. I was scared and I could tell that my eyes were gray.

"Kairi! We need to find some shelter!"

"**KE'ANIA! HELP ME!" **Kairi yelled as she was being sucked into the ground by some weird dark hole.

"**KAIRI!" **I tried to help her, but by time I got to her she was already gone. I tried to find some shelter for myself, but before I knew it, I was hit in the back of the head by something hard. Darkness came far too quickly for my liking.

…

…

…

**Sora's P.O.V.**

After I saw the storm, I immediately rushed over to the island and tried to save our raft, but when I got there I found an unconscious Ke'Ania lying on the sand. "Ke'Ania! Ke'Ania wake up!" I yelled to her.

**GROAN**

Her orange eyes fluttered open. "Sora?"

"I'm so glad you're ok." I said as I hugged her, but something in Ke'Ania snapped and she pushed me away. Her eyes started to tear as they turned gray.

"Kairi~ black hole~ darkness~ someone help!" She blurted out.

"**KE'ANIA! SORA!"** Riku yelled as he raced toward us. Just as he was about to reach out for Ke'Ania a strange and fierce wind started to blow. I held onto her hand while Riku held onto the other one. I could feel as her small hands slipped from mine and she went flying into a random black hole. **"KE'ANIA!" **Riku yelled as he jumped after her. The whole disappeared and I was left alone on the island. I wanted to cry, but before I got a chance to, I was randomly attacked by these strange small, black creatures.

I didn't know what they were. I tried to shake them off of me, but they wouldn't let go. I hissed in pain as a couple of them bit me. _"Why am I so weak? I couldn't save my friends and now I'm going to die by these little black creatures… Someone help me!" _Just as I was about to give up hope, a ray of light lit up in front of my face and then a mysterious object appeared within the white light. I grabbed hold of and marveled at its shape. It was a long sliver key like blade with an empty yellow square for the hilt. "What is this?"

"_**A Keyblade"**_

"Who's there?" I said as I frantically looked around.

"_**Don't be afraid. Use this weapon to defeat the Darkness upon you. If you want to get stronger… use this and always remain true. Do not falter... or you will die."**_

"_That's __**great **__advice." _I rolled my eyes.

"_**Don't get smart. It comes**__."_ The voice warned before a giant version of those little creatures appeared.

"**HOLY SHIT!" **I shouted as I dodged the giant fist.

"_**Fight it."**_

"**THE HELL!"**

"_**Attack its hands. That's the only way you'll win idiot."**_

"**I DON'T SEE YOU FIGHTING IT!" **This is the first time I noticed that I was actually fighting the thing… while yelling at the random voice.

"_**I'm not the crazy kid who's yelling at no one."**_ It snickered.

I wanted to reply, but what stopped me was a groan. "Did that just come from that thing?"I questioned before the Keyblade disappeared.

"_**Congrats. You beat it." **_The giant creature started to fade and formed what looked like another Black hole. I tried to hold onto something, but the force was too great and my fingers slipped. I started to feel sleepy, but I still could've sworn that I saw a giant red blur waving goodbye.

"_I don't know where I'm going… but I know that it won't be home."_


	6. My New Job

**Chapter 5: My New Job**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

My head was throbbing and dizzy. I wanted to just lie here… _"Where ever here is."_ and waited until my headache went away. I wanted to slip back into unconsciousness. Where I was didn't matter. All I knew was that I was in a stone covered street, and propped up against a brick wall and that was good enough for me. My eyes remained unopened. The blurred sound of noise and voices could barely be heard in the background. I was content… nothing mattered. My thoughts were jumbled in my head.

A warm, wet, and rough object dragged over my cheek, only bringing me half from my much wanted slumber. "Five more minutes…" I mumbled to no one in particular. I wanted to remain like that, but a sudden heavy wait was on my lap. I awoke with a start. There was an orange skinny dog sitting there. I tore my eyes from the canine and looked around, searching for any similarities, but I found nothing. The surroundings were foreign to me. As I slowly stood up, I could feel as my muscles and bones screamed at me. I stretched, trying to regain the use of my limps again. _"How long was I sitting like that? Matter of fact… __**HOW DID I GET HERE?**__"_ I screamed inside my head. I was so busy trying to figure out was going on; I barely noticed when the dog ran away. "Hey wait!" I yelled, but it was ready to late. _"Damn. Now what am I going to do. Might as well start investigating on my own."_ I sighed as I started to walk into town.

The streets were practically empty. There were very few people outside, your occasional prostitute, thief, and homeless person. But none of them were any help. After giving up, I turned my attention to a store in the center of the town. I opened the door to see a tall blond haired man, with a toothpick in his mouth, standing behind a counter. "Hey Brat. What business do you have here?" He said as he folded his arms over his broad chest.

"Hey Pops I'm not a brat. The name's Sora." I pronounced proudly.

"My name's not Pops. It's Cid. So Sora… what are you doing here?" Cid questioned as he leaned over the counter.

"I just walked in here to see if you can help me. No one else seems to want to."

"Sure. Do you want some hot coco?" He asked as he made himself one. I nodded and waited for him to give me mine. We both sat on the two green couches that faced each other. We remained quiet as I sipped my warm drink, but something was bothering me. _"This place… it's not normal."_

"Hey Cid…" I called while never looking up from the cup.

"Hn?"

"… … What is this place? I mean none of these people look like they belong here… not even you…"

I heard Cid sigh before her put his mug down on the table. "You're partly right Sora. The world you're in now is called Travers Town~"

"**WAIT YOU MEAN I'M ACTUALLY ON ANOTHER WORLD?" **I yelled, almost spilling my drink in the process.

"Yes and no. You see Travers Town is a broken off piece of my original home world, Radiant Garden. Now this "world" is used as a refuge for all the people and creatures that disappeared from their home world." Cid sighed as he turned his head to the side.

"_People and creatures that disappeared from their home worlds? If that's true than…" _"Hey. You said that this place for people that disappeared from their home worlds right?"

"What the hell am I a broken record?"

"_Choosing to ignore that." _"Then maybe you've seen my friends? Two of them are girls around the same height. One has short dark red hair, violet-blue eyes and a pale complexion while the other has sandy brown that reaches her waist, caramel colored skin, and color changing eyes. The other is a sliver haired boy also with a pale complexion, and green eyes." I asked.

"Sorry, but nope." He replied.

"Oh…" I lowered my head in shame. _"I'm so weak, and because of that… I may have lost them forever."_ I sighed as my eyes started to water. I wanted to cry, but refused too. _"I will not be weak anymore. I promise to get stronger and find them." _Suddenly, a new desire burned within my soul as I tightened my fists.

"Hey kid." Cid said to snap me out of my thoughts. "Just because I haven't seen them doesn't mean that they ain't here. Why don't you have a look around town."

"Uh, ok. Where should I start?"

"Well this town is divided into three districts. We are currently in the First District, the safest one there is. If you go through the doors right behind us, then you'll wind up in the Second District, where most of the residents live. You won't find too much trouble there, but the Third District is the toughest one, but I think you can handle it." He said with a smirk.

"Thanks Cid." I waved.

"Listen Sora. If you run into any trouble, come back here immediately I'll take care of you." I nodded before leaving. I stared at everything and person around me as I made my way to the large wooden doors.

"Well I guess I better get started. Second District her I come." I pushed through the doors and noticed that this had to be the heart of this world. There were shops of different varieties, a hotel, couple of apartments, a clock tower, and a walkway with benches and two fountains. _"This looks like a perfect place to start looking." _**"KE'ANIA! RIKU! KAIRI! ARE YOU HERE? HEY GUYS IF YOU CAN HERE ME… ANSWER ME!" **I yelled. While walking around, I saw those same black creatures that attacked me on my island running after some guy.

"**HELP ME! SOMEONE! OH DEAR GOD PLEASE… ANYONE HELP!"** As the man was running, he suddenly tripped and almost dragged me down with him, but I jumped out of the way in time. "Please son, help me before it~" Was all he could say before those _**creatures **_devoured him. I watched in disgust as they turned him into one of _**those**_. Their eyes were gold, while the rest of their bodies were all black with little antennas on their heads. They didn't move, but squirmed as they disappeared into the ground. My heart pounded against my chest as I summoned the Keyblade again. _"What the hell are these things?"_

It took few minutes, but I finally defeated them and only managed to get a few scratches. Knowing I was ok, I carried on, traveling into the stores, hotels, and knocking on doors. I even checked the clock tower, but still nothing came up, so I swallowed my fear and entered the Third District. To my surprise it was pretty empty. _"This must be the attraction part of the town."_ **"HEY KE'ANIA! RIKU! KAIRI! WHERE ARE YOU?" **I yelled as I walked into the center. _"Hump. They're aren't here either." _I sighed. Thoughts of what could've happened to them were broken when I was tripped by something cold and metal. "What the hell~" I was about to say until I saw different pieces started to assemble themselves in front of me. What I saw almost made me piss my pants.

It was a giant metal, purple creature with a black and red broken heart in the middle of its armored chest. I was weird looking at it. I had never seen anything like it. Before I had a chance to get up, it came charging at me. I quickly rolled out of the way and summoned my Keyblade. I had to focus on defeating it. _"I know that escape is not an option."_ It charged at me again. I tried to defend myself, but it just knocked me back with its giant hands. _"Those hands. Maybe if I take them apart then I could win this thing."_ I put my plan into action. As soon as it charged at me again, I jumped up and knocked its left arm off and worked on destroying it before I worked on the right one.

It took me an hour or so, but I finally defeated that monster by, literally, taking it apart. The weird thing was that when it fell to the floor, with its remains scattered on the floor, a giant sized heart came floating out of its chest and was swallowed by a dark aura. _"What have I gotten into?"_ I was too busy watching the result of my victory to notice that it body disappeared. _"Well at least I won't have to see it again… I hope."_ With the remainder of my strength, I slung my right hand over to my left arm and used it to cover my wounded left arm. I limped to the giant doors and used my right arm to try and open them. I wasn't as tired as I was hurt, but I could manage. After I shut the door, I almost screamed in frustration. _"Did I just go in a fucking circle?"_ I couldn't help but sigh as I made my way back to Cid's Shop.

"Are you ok kid?" Cid asked as he led me to one of the couches.

"Yeah. Just a little banged up." I said as I forced a smile.

"Stay right here. I'll get my first aid kit." I nodded as he left the room. I slumped into the couch. I tried to fight my sleepiness. I was slowly winning, but I knew I wouldn't last. "Here you go." He said as he put the kit next to me before he tended to my injuries. Tiredness started to become my worst enemy. I couldn't go to sleep. Looking for my friends was more important. "So did you find them?"

"…"

"Sorry kid, but I think I might have a guy that can help you."

"Really?" I almost jumped.

"Yeah. His name is Squall Leonhart or Leon for short. He owes me a few favors anyway. Just tell him you're a friend of mine and that this is 1 of 100." Cid smirked.

"Thanks Cid." I said as I jumped up. "So where is this Leon anyway?"

Cid only nervously laughed as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "That's the thing… I don't know where he is. He's always gone, never letting anyone know where he's going. But you don't have to find him tonight. Let me find him for you. You need to rest~"

"No thanks. I have to find my friends now. Besides I'm too worried to sleep." I didn't really lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. "Thanks Cid… for everything." I smiled as I walked out of his shop. I leaned against the wall for a minute, trying to fight the urge to grab my arm again.

"Hey kid…" I looked up to see a brown haired man with a long scar on his face. "Isn't past your bed time?" He smirked. I slowly pushed off the door and pushed past him. "Hey kid I'm talking to you!" He yelled as I kept walking. I didn't care what he had to say to me. He was just another obstacle in my way. "Hump. Fine. Be that way, but~ **HEY KID! WATCH OUT!" **The man said as he pushed me out of the way. I hissed in pain as I landed on my bad arm. Just as I was about to protest, the man had just killed five of those creatures.

"_I didn't even see them."_

"You're welcome."

"What?"

"For saving your ass. Usually people would say thank you or I'll be your personal~" He stopped talking when he saw me coming at him, Keyblade in hand. I wasn't concentrating on him, only on the five same creatures. I used my right hand to forcibly swing my blade and kill my opponents.

"Now we're even." I growled. I never turned my head to look at him until he spoke to me.

"You can wield the Keyblade?" He gasped.

"What of it?" I glared at him. _"I don't trust him. I'm wasting my time here."_

"Then you're the one I've been looking for, but why would the Keyblade chose a brat like you?" He said as he pointed his blade at me. I didn't flinch and my glare never let up, but that was just a mask to hide the rapid heart pounding I was enduring.

"I don't have time for this. I have to find someone so I can get my friends back." I turned back around and took a step before a fire ball was being hurled at me. "What the hell?" I exclaimed before turning toward the stranger.

"I'm afraid… that I can't let you leave. You see, I need your Keyblade to restore that of which was lost. Now, I don't wanna seem like a common thief… so why don't you just hand it over like the good child you are." He practically demanded of me. I scoffed in his face before I stood up, gripped my Keyblade, and pointed it at him.

"Why don't you take it from me." I challenged. I knew I was tired, I knew time was ticking, and I knew that I probably couldn't win, especially in my weakened state. Even though I knew all this, I still had to fight. _"This Keyblade is the only thing that can lead me to my friends..." _"There's no way I'll let you have this." My glare intensified as I lifted my left hand and gripped the bar in the hilt.

"Stubborn brat. You'll pay for your insolence." He stood in, what I assumed was his fighting stance, before coming at me.

He swung his gun like-blade and I used mine to defend myself. Pain shot threw my arm as the weight of his power and force, the Keyblade, and of course my own power was crushing me. I couldn't help grunting in pain. I had to get him off of me before my arm gave way. I drew on unknown strength and pushed him back. I struck back, almost hitting him. He was fast and strong, but I have to win. He thrusted his sword and nicked my right arm before I grabbed his blade and flung him off of me before I landed a nice hit to his ribs. He stumbled back while clutching his ribs. "You're going to pay for that!" He spat before he sent another fire ball spiraling at me. I rolled out of the way, just barely. My body was getting weaker. My eyes were getting heavier. I was a goner. I charged him and unleashed a barrage of thrusts and hits. I tried to aim for where it hurts, but if I wounded him enough for an escape passage… than that's good enough for me. After my attacks, he fell to the floor on his knees. Both of our breathings were slowed and rapid. I didn't know if I won or not… all I knew was that… "My time's up." I said. My head hung low, the Keyblade disappeared, and my sandy brown bangs covered my sea blue eyes. Even though I was close to unconsciousness, a smirk played on my tan face. The cold, stone ground scrapped the flesh on my knees before I fell to the floor. Mumbled voices were the last thing I heard before everything faded to black.

…

…

…

**In the Hotel Room**

"_You didn't have to do that you know?"_

"Cid?"

"_He was being stubborn and a brat."_

"Stranger?"

"_Guys stop fighting. I'll be right back; I've been keeping our other guys waiting thanks to you guys."_

"A girl?"

"_You're so impatient. It's a good thing he kicked your sorry ass. Hump maybe he knocked some sense into that bid ego holder you call a head."_

"Another girl?"

"_Oh very funny Yuffie, but I was surprised that I lost against him… Especially in his weakened state."_

**GROAN**

I groaned as I was coming too. My head was hurting, but surprisingly that was the only thing that was hurting. "Everyone shut up. He's waking up. Hey can you hear and see me?" One of the girls asked. Her voice reminded me of Ke'Ania's. It was like a calming pill for me. I slowly opened my eyes to a blurry sight. All I saw was a blur of dark red, white, and purple.

"_Sora, you lazy bum. Wake up."_

"Kairi?" Just as I reached out to touch the figure, the colors changed colors and the picture became a little clearer.

"_You're so lazy. How do I manage to put up with you?"_

"Riku?" I tried to reach for it again, but the colors changed again and the picture was almost picture perfect.

"_Come on Sora. I believe in you. Wake up."_

"Ke'Ania?" I tried to touch her, but then she disappeared and some black haired girl was leaning over me.

"Who are all these people?" She said with her hands on her hip.

"**AHHHH!" **I screamed as I backed into the wall.

"Oh great, Squall. You fucked up his brain." The girl sighed.

"**WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?"** I yelled as I called for my Keyblade.

The black haired girl stepped forward first. "I'm the great ninja Yuffie. This is Squall~"

"_**Yuffie!"**_

"Ok fine… this is _**Leon**_ and Cid."

"Hey kid. How you feeling?" Cid asked me as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm… fine actually. My body doesn't hurt, the bandages, and scars are gone… Why?" I asked as I started feeling my scar-free skin.

"That's because we asked Aerith to heal you." Yuffie asked.

"What's going on? I'm so confused." I asked. I sat on the bed and listened to what they told me. They explained about Hallow Bastion, how this world came to be, the Heartless, the Keyblade, and all the worlds out there and her connection. "Wow that's a lot to take in."

"Yeah, and it's up to you to make things better. I hope you're up to it." Cid said as he patted my shoulder.

"Do I have a chose?" I sighed as I walked over to apologize to Leon. We shook hands and from that moment on, we became friends, but the moment was cut short by a Heartless appearing in the room. Leon pushed past me and defeated it.

"Sora, come with me. Everyone knows what to do." Leon commended as he jumped from the balcony. I soon followed after him. "We're going to split up. Don't worry about the little Heartless, just go after their boss!" As he ran off in the opposite direction.

I didn't know where to look for this "Boss", but I had to start somewhere. The back ally was practically coated in the little Heartless, so it took me a minute before I reached Third District. I was actually a little afraid of what this district, because of the last incident. I didn't know the Heartless followed me here, until they surrounded me. I gripped my Keyblade before charging one section. They were easy to pick off, but relentless to say the least. I was in the middle of the fight when I heard a voice… quaking?

"_Let's go get 'em Goofy."_ I heard the voice say.

"_What the hell is going on up there?"_ It was weird, but all the Heartless were trying to get a good look as well. It was like the battle had paused, so we could get a good look at the event before us. Things got even more interesting when there was a flash of light before two animal-like creatures fell from the balcony, they were perched on. The Heartless and I made a run for it, but I wasn't fast enough and they landed on me. I thought I heard my spine crack under their weight and the only thing they had to say was…

"Oh. The Key." **(Most likely referring to my Keyblade)**

"_**Get the hell off of me."**_ I grunted as they rolled off of me. "Ok. Who are you guys and how do you know about the Keyblade." I asked them. One was a midget white duck while the other looked like a retarded dog.

"We came here looking for the Keyblade master… and sadly… that's you." The duck said as he folded his hands or feathers over his chest.

"Excuse me? How would you like to be fried duck?" I threatened as I stepped closer to him.

"**WHAT DID YOU SAY?" **He squawked before we started arguing.

"Guys?"

"**WHY THE HELL IS THE KEYBLADE "MASTER" THIS SNOT NOESED SHRIMP?"**

"Guys?"

"**WHAT? WHY THE HELL IS THIS "NOT-SUPPOSED TO BE TALKING" NOT WEARING PANTS YOU PEDIPHILE?"**

"**GUYS!"**

"**WHAT?" **The duck and I yelled in unison.

"Look!" The dog yelled as we turned our attention towards the Third District's doors. Suddenly they were blocked off; in fact all the exits were blocked off by some strange type of wall.

"_What's going on?"_

"Guys watch out! Something's coming!" The dog yelled as he covered his mouth with his incredibly large hands. When I turned back, I mentally swore to myself. That Guardian Heartless, I fought earlier, returned… except this time his body was in disarray.

"Ok guys." I sighed as I turned towards the two animal-like creatures before me. "Looks like it's up to us to finish this thing off once and for all. What do you say? Can we work together?" I asked. They both nodded before pulling out their own weapons. The dog fought with a shield, while the duck had a staff of some kind. I figured that I would laugh at them later. We each got into our fighting positions before it started to charge at us. We dodged its oncoming attacks. "Guys! We have to attack its body parts! After that everything will fall on it's own!" I shouted to them. They nodded as we each rushed to a different body part. Working together, we were able to remove everything, but the torso. I charged at it, ready to attack the head, but I was caught off guard when its torso started to spin. It hit my body and I went flying backwards, only to be caught by the dog person. "Thanks."

"Are you ok?" The duck asked me.

"Yeah, but it never did that before. I wonder why now?" I questioned, but I didn't have time to figure it out before it charged at us again. _"I wonder if we stun it… will it give me an opening?" _"Hey. Can you use your magic too stun it before I chop off its head?" I asked the duck. He nodded before readying himself. The Heartless started at us before it charged one more time at us. The duck casted a lightning spell on it. The Heartless was stunned and it gave me a chance to defeat it. I ran over to it and wacked it a few times before a light started to sparkle form it. I backed away slowly before it exploded and another heart came floating out of it. The same thing happened to the heart that happened to that one guy's heart. The Keyblade disappeared as I sighed and sat on the floor. "Glad that's over."

"Thank you." I heard the duck say.

"Huh?"

"We wanted to say thank you for defeating that Heartless for us. I don't think we could've done it without you." The dog smiled, which caused me to smile.

"I guess we make a pretty good team than huh?" I added as I stood up. "So what are your names?" I asked them.

"Donald Duck." The duck said as he handed me a feathered covered hand.

"The name's Goofy." The dog said as he did the same thing and helped me to my feet.

I dusted myself off before giving my name. "Sora. My name is Sora."

"Nice to meet you." Goofy smiled again.

"Um, Sora… would you like to come with us…? On our adventure?" Donald asked nervously. Right before I was about to answer, all three of our stomachs growled.

"How about you explain everything over dinner?" I smiled at them before I led them to Cid's shop.

At dinner they explained everything to everyone. They said they need me to help find their king and fix the worlds. At first I was sketchy, but when they said that they could help me find my friends… how could I say no. After dinner we went to Cid's spare bedrooms and slept for the night after Donald healed us. It was amazing, watching as the scars and blood and everything disappeared before my eyes.

Once we woke up and ate breakfast, I waved goodbye and followed them through at the beginning of the town. There was a weird ship waiting for us. Inside looked just like a home. There were two rooms with two beds, kitchen, living room, t.v., bathroom. _"Someone could live here forever."_ I went to my room and noticed that there were a pile of fresh, new, clothes waiting for me with a note attached.

"This is our thank you." I reread before inspecting his belongings.

"_**SORA! WE'LL BE ENTERING A NEW WORLD TOMORROW! MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE!"**_ Donald said from over the intercom. I put the clothes away before falling on the bed.

"_Don't worry Ke'Ania, Riku, Kairi…_ _I'm going to save you guys and the other worlds, so we can go home… together. It's my new job anyway."_ I thought as I lead down and slept on my bed.


	7. Lucky Reunion

**Chapter 6: Lucky Reunion**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

After a goodnight's rest and a night of getting to know each other, Donald, Goofy, and I set out toward our first world. I was very excited, but at the same time I was anxious and sad. Sad because none of my friends were here to see this with me, but anxious because the quicker they landed, the quicker he could find his friends. I sat in the passenger's seat, next to Donald, until I couldn't take it anymore. "Ok that's it! I'm taking over the controls!" I yelled as my hands gripped the handles.

"You can't! You're not experienced enough! **STOP!**" Before we knew it, the Gummi Ship stared spinning out of control. We were going down. And then everything went black.

…

…

…

When I woke up, it was on the floor of some kind of tree house. I sat up and looked around. Every piece of clothing was shredded and there were various splatters of dried blood everywhere. I was a little creped out, so I turned to leave, but then this adult sized jaguar stood in my path. The look in its eyes told me that I was going to be its next meal. I couldn't let that happened. I tried to side step it, but every time I moved, so did it. I didn't want to harm the pussy. It reminded me too much of Ke'Ania and her love for all felines. _"Sorry Ke'Ania, but if I want to live to see you and tomorrow…" _I thought as I summoned my Keyblade and took my stance. _"Then kitty's gotta die."_ Feeling threatened, the jaguar charged at me and I dodged. I hissed as its claws scratched my back and arms. Drops of blood ran down my body as I tried to protect myself.

We continued our Man vs. Beast battle for what seemed like forever before I saw the perfect opportunity. The jaguar had its back turned towards me. I held my Keyblade with my uninjured left arm and went to strike, but was cut short when it used its back legs to kick me back to the rough and jagged hardwood ground. I hissed and grunted in pain. My head felt woozy. My eyes were feeling heavy, but I refused to go into an unconscious state before this grown fur ball. I propped myself on my elbow and tried to use my wounded right arm to defend myself against it. I shut my eyes and waited for the jaguar's attack, but it never came. I slowly inched open my right eye and out of my brown eyelashes I saw another brunette with long hair and tan skin. He was struggling against my predator. With a long spear like weapon, the stranger was able to the jaguar off of him and over the edge of tree house's balcony. "Are. You. Alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for saving me." I said as I got up. I held my injured arm, not caring if blood got on my gloved hand. "What's your name?"

"Tarzan."

"I'm Sora. Nice to meet you." I said as I held out my hand.

"… … So-ra?"

It's just like talking to a baby. "That's right. HAVE. YOU. SEEN. MY. FRI-ENDS?" I spelled out slowly for him to understand.

"… … fri-ends?"

"Yeah that's right. Have you seen them?" He shook his head. I was feeling too tired to continue so I fell to the floor on my knees.

"You. Alright?" He asked while strolling over to me on… all fours? I nodded my head, but my eyes were closing. I felt myself being lifted onto soft skin before the rush of the crisp air blew on my wounds, hair, and flesh. I was aware that Tarzan was gliding along the trees, leaves and moss, but I was so dizzy and dazed to know that we'd stopped. Everything started to get dark. The sun wasn't setting last I checked. I knew that my unconscious state was coming as the last thing I remember were the sounds of muffling voices.

…

…

…

"_Come on Sora. You gotta wake up if you want to catch me."_ I thought I heard Ke'Ania giggle. I grunted as I opened my eyes. I was in a medium sized, cramped tent. Light could be seen from the outside of the tent, and then everything was white and wet.

"You need to relax," I heard Donald say.

"Donald?"

"I'm not speaking to you." He squawked.

"Hee. I didn't know you were so stubborn." I smirked back from underneath the towel.

"You should be grateful I even healed and dressed your cloths and wounds." He snorted.

"You're right. I shouldn't have done what I did back there… I'm sorry. I just wanted so badly to find my friends… I guess I went overboard. It won't happen again, Captain."

"It's alright Captain Sora. I knew what it's like to be upset and frustrated because you can't find a friend. Goofy and I have been there too many times before… So what do you say…?" He said as he removed the towel from my face. "Friends?"

"Friends." I said as I sat up and shook his feathered hand. When I jumped out of the "bed" that's when I realized that I feel perfectly healed. I moved and starched every part of my muscles before we walked out of the tent. There I met Jane and her Father and reunited with Goofy over the fruits they provided.

"So, is there any other people here with you?" I questioned.

"Well there is Mr. Clayton, he's like my bodyguard and…. Oh there was this person, but it's been a day since she hadn't return. I hope nothing got to her.

"Sora! Maybe it's one of your friends. Let's go searching for her." Donald nodded I nodded as we set out. Along the path, we came to an open area where all the Heartless appeared and started attacking. We held a few off on our won, but they just kept coming. It actually seemed that the population was greater than when we first started. We were starting to get tired and the Heartless were relentless until a flash of red, white and brown swung in and destroyed all of them by sticking their weapons into the ground. I was amazed at how strong and brave this person must be.

"_I need to get to know this person." _Just as I was about to thank the mysterious person for saving us, my eyes widen tenfold.

"_Is it really you…?"_

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

"Is it really you… Ke'Ania?" I heard someone say from behind me.

"_That voice…"_ I dismissed my Keyblades before turning around to face the person I was looking for. Tears started to form in my as a smile graced my pink lips. "Sora…" Without waiting for a nod or any kind of response I ran toward him and wrapped my arms around his mid-section. "I've missed you Sora. I'm glad you're alright." I sighed into his chest. Because my eyes were closed, no one could see that my eyes were green; but I knew. I relaxed when I felt him do the same. His body heat felt like something out of a dream. I wanted to hold onto forever, but then the clearing of someone's throat caught our attention. Neither of us let go as we turned our heads toward the disruption.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you guys' sweet moment, but who's this Sora?" The duck quacked. I couldn't resist thinking that he looked so cute. I removed myself from Sora's arms to grab the duck and hug him to pieces.

"Awe. Aren't you the cutest duck I've ever seen in my life." I cooed as I felt my eyes turn yellow.

"**Hey put me down girl!"** He squawked as I slowly put him down.

"Sorry, but you were too cute." I giggled.

"See Donald…" I turned my head to see a really tall black dog with a hunch. "Now you have more than one girl, besides Daisy, who likes you." He laughed.

"You are you guys?" I asked.

"These are my two new friends. This is Donald Duck and Goofy. Donald, Goofy, meet Ke'Ania. She's one of my friends I was looking for." Sora introduced.

"Nice to meet you." I said as I extended my hands towards them.

"Whoa." Both of them gasped. "How did you do that?" They both asked at the same time.

"What?" I asked.

"They're probably talking about your eyes Ke'Ania." Sora sighed as he put his hands on his hips and walked next to me.

"Oh." I giggled. "My eyes change colors depending on my mood. Some say it's a curse, but I think it's cool." I said before lightly giggling again.

"Have they always been like that?" Donald asked.

"Yup! Well as far as I'm concerned." I cheered. I don't know why I was so excited. Is it because Sora was here with me again? Or was it because I finally found my way back to the campsite I've been staying at for a few days?

"So Ke'Ania what are you doing here?" Sora asked me.

"I~" I gasped my throat when it became suddenly hoarse.

"Ke'Ania! Are you alright?" I nodded. "What's wrong?" I tried to speak again, but the words wouldn't come.

"I think she might be thirsty." Goofy said as he looked at me. After thinking about it for a minute I had a sudden a realization of how thirsty I was. It's been about a good couple of hours since I had some water. I nodded my head as I released my throat.

"Well then come on. We've got water at the camp." Sora said as we started walking back to camp.

Once we got there, I quickly drank the water and sighed in relief. "How have you been Ke'Ania? We were starting to get worried when you didn't come back. What happened?" Jane asked me.

I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head as I nervously grinned; feeling as my eyes reverted back to pink. "Sorry Jane. Looks like I got a little turned around, but then when I heard Sora and his friends fighting, I rushed to help and well… here I am." I nervously laughed.

"Uh Ke'Ania…?" I turned my head to see that it was Sora who called to me. "Can I talk to you? Outside?"

"Sure." I slowly nodded before following him outside as my eyes turned brown. We walked back to another clearing, a little ways away from the tent. There was a rock; I sat on it while Sora leaned against it, looking at me. "So what is it Sora?"

"How have you been?"

"Fine and you?"

"Unconscious." He chuckled as I laughed. Even though it's been few days, it felt like forever since we laughed together like this. After our laughter died, he started playing with loose strands of my hair. Carefully wrapping it around his fingers. I turned my head, not looking at anything in particular before I spoke.

"Sora… Please tell me what happened to our Island." I almost commanded as one of my eyes turned blue.

"… …. I~" I could sense the haste in his voice. That only made, both my eyes, go full blue. "I'm sorry Ke'Ania… but our island is gone." I lowered my head at his words, but continued to listen. "After you and Riku disappeared, I had to fight a giant Heartless, that's a BIG version of those little things you defeated earlier. After I defeated it, this black hole sucked me in and I ended on another world called Travers Town. I made some new friends, fought a powerful Heartless, and got to travel in a Gummi Ship here. Sure we crashed, but in the end I ended up finding you." He nervously chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little… and it worked. I laughed with him as my eyes returned to green. "So… what happened to you?" He asked while looking into my eyes.

"Well after Riku and I disappeared into that dark hole, Riku disappeared and I was left alone. I didn't know anything, but I could tell that both Riku and Kairi were long gone. I ended up floating around in darkness for I don't how long for. It felt like forever. I thought I was dead, that is until this high squeaky voice called out to me. It said… _**"I'm the princess that will lead the 'Keyblade Master' to 'his' destiny." **_I didn't and still don't know what it means. As if I didn't already have enough to worry about. I still can't find my friends and I still don't remember anything I didn't before. The voice asked me if I accepted my mission. What choice did I have? After I said yes…" I held out both my hands and summoned my two weapons. One had an upside down red heart at the end, with the top of the heart connected to the silver blade itself and an emptied heart as the hilt. The other one had a sharp Yin-Yang symbol that connected to the white blade and the black emptied circle for the hilt. "These two weapons appeared in front of me. They were the only things I could see in that dark abyss. I grabbed the bar that rested in the open hilts and then watched as these two white elbow high, fingerless gloves appeared on my arms. _**"These two blades shall guide, protect and assist you along the way. The heart one represents your destiny and pure heart while the other represented the order you must restore and keep between each world. Good luck fair princess and never lose your light. It will grant you all of your wishes."**_ And with that, I was thrusted through some type of vortex that led me here. I've been stuck here ever since."

"Well I'm glad you're safe now." Sora said as he smiled at me. I nodded to say the same thing. "But, it looks like you have a few things to learn before you're ready to start."

"Oh and are you going to teach them to me?" I teased. He nodded before he too summoned his own weapon. "Whoa Sora that's cool. You can do it too? But how?" I questioned as I jumped off the rock.

"Well… it's because I'm the Keyblade Master."

"Oh so you're the one I have to babysit?" I teased again.

"Oh very funny princess. As a matter of fact I can take care of myself. In fact I think I've gotten stronger. So as long as I'm around… just leave the fighting to me… I'll protect you." He smirked as he slung the blade over his shoulder.

"Watch it Sora. Isn't there stuff you're supposed to be teaching me?"

"Ok, ok fine. Pay attention…" He said as he started pointing to his foreign weapon. "This is known as a Keyblade and apparently we have to use these to kill all the Heartless and link the world back together again." He said in a serious voice as we sat in the grass. "See, I figured that if we just kill the head honcho, then they will all disappear, the worlds will go back to being normal, and then we can go back home."

"Sounds like a plan…"

"Yeah, but there are two things we have to figure out first before that happens." He said as he stood up and dismissed his Keyblade.

"And what's that?" I said back.

"One: we have to find Riku and Kairi, and two: we have to figure out who is controlling the Heartless and what they're after. I figure that if we keep them from reaching their goal them their power and army will crumble. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeas it does. You know if I didn't know better, then I would have thought you were smarter than Riku." I said as I stood up with my Keyblades in hand.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing. It's just that Riku was always the plans guy. I never really pegged you for that kind of guy." I replied as I turned to him. I thought I saw a hurt expression on his face. "Do you know what kind of guy I always thought you were? I always thought you were the fun, adventurous guy… my favorite." I smiled as he nodded and then looked down at my Keyblades.

"Hey what are the names of your Keyblades?" He asked.

"Names?"

"Yeah. Every Keyblade has a name. So what's theirs?"

"You know… I never thought to ask. I guess it's up to me to name them. Umm… I'll call this one **(looks at heart Keyblade)** Lovely Keyblade, because it's lovely and reminds me of love. And this one **(looks at Yin-Yang Keyblade)** I'll name this one Yin-Yang Keyblade… for obvious reasons." I dismissed both of my Keyblades before turning back to Sora. Suddenly my legs felt like they were on fire. I fell back to the floor in siring pain. I screamed as my legs started to glow red.

"**Ke'Ania! Ke'Ania what's wrong?"** He asked me as he propped me against the rock.

"My legs… they're on fire." I managed to struggle out before I gave on final scream. I was panting I watched black flames being etched onto the outside part on my legs. Smoke was coming from the burns on my skin.

"What hell are those?" Sora gasped as he tried to touch them, but I hissed and grabbed his wrist in an attempt to stop him. But before I got a chance to say anything, the tattoo like scare on my legs started to absorb into my skin. The pain was gone, but I still felt weak.

"_Did this have something to do with Entée? Does she have some type of connection too my mission? Or is this just her temporary protection for me?"_

"Are you ok?" He asked me. I nodded my head as I still panted. "What was that?"

"I don't know. I never had that happen to me before. Sorry to make you worry." I softly smiled.

"It's ok. It sort of feels like my job… in a good way." He smiled back as he held his hand out for me. "Can you walk?"

"I think so." I grabbed his hand and as he lifted me up, I almost fell back down, but he caught me in his strong arms. "Hee, I guess not." I nervously smiled as my eyes flicked to pink.

"Let me carry you until you can." I could feel heat rising in my cheeks as he picked me up, bridal-style and started walking back to the camp. I rested my head against his chest and just relaxed.

"_His heartbeat is so soothing."_ I smiled.

"**SORA! KE'ANIA! HELP!" **We heard Donald yelled ruining my happy moment.

"_Suddenly… Donald isn't as cute as he is tasty. I wonder if I can have fried duck for dinner."_

"What's wrong Donald?" Sora asked.While he was telling us what was wrong, Sora and I just looked at each other.

"Donald. Donald. Slow and calm down." I helped him breathe.

"And for God's sake, speak English Donald." Sora added.

"What Donald was trying to say was that Mr. Clayton took Jane." Goofy translated.

"**WHAT?" **We both yelled.

"And now Tarzan is going after him." Donald finished.

"We have to help them. Sora put me on your back." I commanded.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes, now let's hurry." Sora nodded as he helped me onto his back and started to run in the direction of Tarzan.

…

…

…

It was a couple of minutes before we arrived. Tarzan was staring down Mr. Clayton. I looked next to him and saw that Jane was tied to a tree. **"JANE!"** All of us shouted as Clayton laughed.

"HAHAHA, what will you do now Ms. Porter? Yo are one of fifteen princesses and the only people that could _**possible **_save you are the beast you fell in love with, two children, a duck, and a retarded looking dog."

"**Hey! I'm the only one who can think like that about him!"** Donald yelled.

"You think I'm~"

"Shut Goofy, you retarded dog." Donald snapped.

"Oh this is rich, but I have other matters to attend to." Clayton snapped his fingers and a giant reptile looking Heartless appeared before us. He snapped with his other hand and Jane disappeared into a black hole, just like Kairi and Riku. "Good-bye~" He started to say before I threw my Lovely Keyblade at him, barely lopped his head off, but he did have a large gash on the side of his face.

"**HEY ASSHOLE! SHUT THE FUCK UP!"** I yelled at him.

"**AH YOU LITTLE RUGRAT OF A BITCH! NOW YOU'RE GOING TO PAY! ATTACK!"** And on cue the Heartless reptile leaped and knocked as all down. I tried to get up, but that pain returned. I could barely lift myself into a kneeling position. I was afraid. I couldn't move; my eyes shined grey in the hidden sun. The reptile stared me in my eyes. It inched closer.

"_Damnit! My legs won't move."_ My heartbeat was so rapid… I thought that it would explode. _"Move Damnit!"_ It raised on its back legs and leaned over me. _"Move!" _Tears were running down my cheeks. _"Damnit!"_

"**KE'ANIA!"** I heard Sora yell. I looked over and everything seemed to be in slow motion. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tarzan were running in slow motion to try and save me. The Heartless was also moving in slow motion. I didn't want to die.

"_**Jump."**_

"Huh?"

"_**If you don't want to die… JUMP!"**_

"I can't."

"_**Yes you can."**_

"No!"

"_**THEN YOU'RE WEAK AND YOU DESERVE TO DIE!"**_

"**NO! I REFUSE TO DIE!"**

"_**THEN JUMP!"**_

"**I WILL!"**

Everything seemed to speed back up. My fear disappeared; my eyes turned red again. My legs were in pain, but I had to ignore it if I wanted to save everyone… if I wanted to save myself. I summoned my Yin-Yang Keyblade before calling to my Lovely Keyblade. Just as the reptile leaped towards me, I jumped up, caught it, and stood tall against the Heartless. **"HEY! CLAYTON… WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOUR OVER GROWN LIZARD… YOUR HEAD WILL BE NEXT!"** I yelled as I jumped, spun repeatedly and used my Keyblades to slice open its back. I hated the way the Heartless screamed in agony as I was killing it. When I reached its tail, the weight of its body caved and it fell to the ground. I slowly walked over to where the head was, not caring that I was covered in its blood, and clamed. I saw the pained expression on its face. I know that look all too well. There was something inside of me that wanted to call it a monster or a beast, but then I would be considered a hypocrite. I whispered a sorry before I lopped off its head. Sad tears ran down my face as I watched it disappear.

"Ke'Ania…?" I heard Sora say before I started talking.

"_**You know what I hate the most…?"**_ My bangs were mostly covering my eyes and face as I stared into the terrified face of Clayton. Each one of me steps became more deadly than the last. My eyes flashed red. Clayton was my prey now. _**"I hate people who use things as their puppets. You had no right to control that creature for your doing!"**_

"It was a beast. It needed to be controlled or else they'll run rampant and destroy everything in their path. That's the way of a monster, right?" He nervously laughed/defended. The voices of the towns people from my hometown, where ever that is, were echoing inside my head. I gripped the handle of my Keyblades.

"**WRONG!"** He was sitting in front of me when I swung my Keyblades and cut his head off. I watched has his head had flown in another direction; I felt his blood splatter on my skin and clothes. Tears were starting to roll off my face. I saw my bangs as they hung off of my breast before I used the back of my hand to whip away my tears.

"Ke'Ania…? Are you ok?" I heard Sora say as he put his hand on my shoulder. After whipping away my last tears, I turned to him and smiled.

"Never better. I'm just glad that it's all over." I smiled. It was genuine, but still felt a little forced.

"Hey Sora, Ke'Ania. Something's happening to Clayton's head!" Goofy yelled as Donald, Tarzan, and he gathered around it. Both Sora and I walked over to his head. I grabbed it by its hair and held it up.

"_Why is it glowing?"_ As I finished my thoughts, something was happening to Sora's Keyblade. It started to shake as a light shot out of the top. We all watched as a giant transparent keyhole appeared in the sky. A light shoot out of the tip of Sora's Keyblade and, I think, locked the keyhole. "What was that?" I asked Sora.

"I think I just locked the keyhole. Huh, so that's what Leon and Cid was talking about." She mumbled.

"Who?" I questioned.

"Don't worry, you'll meet them soon." He reassured me.

"Jane…" We all turned to see a weeping Tarzan. "Jane…"

"Tarzan." I called, causing him to look up. "We'll get her back. I promise, but you can help us, by making sure this world stays safe for the rest of its in habitats… ok?" I helped cheer him up. He nodded and then all five of us walked back to camp.

We waved bye-bye to him before walking to the Gummi Ship. When we stepped inside, I was impressed, but the first thing I said was… **"EWWW I STINK! WHERE'S THE BATHROOM?"**

"Follow the magic mops. They'll help you out." Donald sighed as he clapped his hands.

"Magic mops?" I questioned before at least five of walking mops with hands appear. They pushed me toward the bathroom. I undressed and they did all the rest. One was going to wash my clothes. One was doing my hair. One was giving me a message. One was brushing my teeth. The last one was washing me. I sighed and relaxed. I loved being waited on. I stepped out of the bathtub as two more jumped in and started cleaning it. I dressed in one of Sora's over sized t-shirts. The ship's ground was cold under my bare feet, but I didn't care. I put my long hair into one brain before I stepped into the hallway. Sora was standing next to my door, but when he saw me in his shirt, he turned so he could hide his blush, but I caught it.

"So uh… you hungry?" He asked and I nodded. I followed him into the kitchen to see that Donald was cooking.

"_More like using magic to do it."_ I scoffed. "How about I start cooking for now on. I said as I forcibly ate the semi disgusting food. They all nodded before giving me the tour of the ship. I was impressed. This looked more like a house than a ship. Sora told me that they originally had two bedrooms, but they made an extra one for me. I felt bad, but they said they rather have the new one on the other side of the ship because Sora snores.

"**DO NOT!" **Sora defended. I laughed as Donald and Sora argued over the matter. I walked into the living room and stared out into the endless space. Stars and little bits of, what used to be worlds would float by.

"_I hope this adventure will lead me closer to the truth about my past… my memories… and to Sora."_


	8. Troubled Wonders in Wonderland

**Chapter 7: Troubled Wonders in Wonderland**

**Normal P.O.V.**

Somewhere in a castle, in a world its inhibiters thought was lost, a group of villains sat and gasped at the new information bestowed upon them. _**"How could we have missed that?"**_ One villain announced as she slammed her palms against the stone table.

"Did _**anyone **_know that this child, this girl, was a princess?" A male villain asked.

"I didn't." Answered another villain.

"Me neither." The rest of them responded.

"_**I did."**_ Answered the leader of all the villains answered. The clicking and clacking of her heels and staff echoed throughout the room as she took her seat at the head of the table.

"**WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU KNEW?"** One brave villain challenged.

"Exactly the way I said it. Ke'Ania is the missing princess I've been looking for. I heard that there were fourteen princesses…"

"But wait!" One villain interrupted. "We all knew that there were fourteen, but I thought you told us that we found all of them."

"Ah, yes about that. I thought the same thing, but the more I observed one of the princesses, I have found that she was not the one we were looking for. In fact her heart isn't even pure enough to be considered a candidate." The leader proclaimed.

"Then if that's true, then why did she even appear on our radar and the other one didn't?" Questioned one villain.

"Because Kairi, the princess we thought was one of the princesses, had a pure power within her. That's why I thought she was one, but after more observation, I have concluded that the power residing in her is not her own, but in fact belongs to another being."

"If that's true then why can't we just get the other being instead of the red haired brat?"

Before speaking, the leader waved her staff and produced a sleeping Kairi contained in a glass container. After producing the girl, the leader waved her staff again and a holographic visual aid appeared in the middle of the stone table. "Because that being is untouchable. I have yet to find away to extract or even awaken that source. When she arrived here, I was able to look within her heart and mind. In the end I saw that there were two presents that her body hosted. One belonging to her and the other belonged the powerful being." The leader explained.

"Ok that solves one question. Now what about the other one?"

"Yeah. Why didn't Ke'Ania appear on our radar?" One smug villain exclaimed.

"Check again." The leader smirked as everyone gasped.

"But, how can this be? I check this radar at least six times a day and she has never once appeared until now." On villain questioned.

"It's because that hidden power was used to keep our attention focused on Kairi, while Ke'Ania was able to slide under our noses."

"Clever."

"_**BUT, **_that's not the only reason why. Another reason I have discovered is because the power Ke'Ania possesses has hidden her from us. She would have been able to walk into here and we would never be none the wiser. It wasn't until late last night she appeared on our radar. When she escaped the Darkness' grasp and wielded her Keyblades for the first time… Ke'Ania has proven to me that she truly is the last true Pure Heart Princess. Villains of all ages… we have stumbled upon a mysterious and incredible power… and I insist that we use it to gain what we want. Now who will join me and drink from the wine of victory?" The leader cried out into the acoustics of the room.

Everyone of the villains nodded, but then one of them turned to look at the sleeping girl. "So what do we do with her?" Asked one of the lower ranking villains.

"We will use her to bait Ke'Ania and the princess of that world. If my hypothesis is correct then if we endanger the princess… Ke'Ania and her lackey, the boy Sora, will come running. Making them all the more ripe for the picking. Just make sure you don't fail me… Queen of Hearts." The leader commanded while looking at her.

"You have my promise, Maleficent." The Queen bowed before leaving to return back to her world.

**Sora's P.O.V.**

It felt great having Ke'Ania safely back with me. I can finally rest with ease knowing that she's within arms' length. I have to admit that she looked good in my t-shirt… it felt good seeing her back in her clothes. _"Less on a chance of getting a boner."_

Morning, as promised, Ke'Ania was in the kitchen, fully dressed with her long hair tied back and out of her face, and cooking everyone breakfast, but I was shocked when her tank top was cut short. "Ke'Ania? What happened to your shirt?" She turned away from the stove and gave me the strangest, confused look and also a good view of her torso.

Her red tank top, instead of stopping at her waist like normal, it ends just under her B cupped-sized breasts. I could feel some blood rushed south as I got a good look at her well toned stomach. I couldn't help but trace her pretty caramel skin with my eyes. I started from the end of, what's left, her red tank top, down to her bellybutton, and finished at her slightly showing v-line.

"Huh? Oh that." She nervously laughed as she scratched the back of her head. Her eyes were closed, concealing her beautiful green eyes. "After the mops washed and freshened my clothes, I noticed that there was a giant gash in the front of it. So I cut and sowed it. You like it?" She asked. I tried to fight down the blush that was threatening to gaze my cheeks as I nodded. She giggled before turning back to the stove.

"… … Sorry." I whispered as I lowered my head.

"Sorry about what?" Ke'Ania questioned as she burned back towards me.

"About having you sleep in one of my t-shirts." I replied.

My heart skipped a beat when she threw a sudden smile in my direction. "Don't worry yourself. I don't mind." She answered as she returned toward the stove and finished cooking our breakfast. **"DONALD! GOOFY! BREAKFAST IS READY!"** And on cue, both of them came running into the kitchen and took up their seats next to me. We all practically drooled when Ke'Ania put the eggs, toast, and bacon on four plates before serving them. We all thanked her before digging in. It was heaven. I never knew Ke'Ania had cooking skills like this. We eat in silence until Ke'Ania say two mops mopping the floor. She giggled before speaking. "Where did you get these little walking mops? They're so cute… and helpful."

"They live in the palace with us. They run on pure magic." Goofy laughed as he finished off his plate.

"Palace? Magic?" Both Ke'Ania and I questioned.

"Oh yeah. We never told you where we're from." Donald said as he too finished his plate. "Well you see, we are faithful servants to King Mickey and his wife Queen Minnie. I am the Royal Magician~"

"He's really talented too." Goofy smiled.

"And Goofy here is the captain of the Royal Knights. We have faithfully served the king and queen for years, but lately our friend has been acting weird lately and now he's vanished. We sat out on this journey in hopes of finding him. So far there has been no word of or from him, but there are still a lot of places we haven't checked yet." Donald's voice sounded like mine when I thought I'd never find my friends again. Both Goofy and he stared endlessly into their orange juice or coffee.

"Let me guess… your friend is King Mickey right?" Ke'Ania cooed as she took the dishes and started washing them. "Don't ever lose hope. Because the moment you do, that's when things really start to determine making or breaking a person. Don't worry, Sora and I will definitely help you. After all you let me on your ship and adventure… so it's only fair that we help you. Right Sora?" She smiled as she looked at me.

"That's right. Now come on. Let's get dressed. The next world awaits us." I nodded as we each walked to our rooms. I showered, changed out of my white t-shirt and black shorts, and brushed my teeth before heading to the living room, where Ke'Ania was star gazing. She looked so innocent just standing there with a small smile on her face and her hands behind her back. I just stood in awe at her beauty. Her delicate hands came to her ponytail and released it. It was in slow motion, the way her hair fell on her body and over her shoulders. Her two front hangs weren't as the rest of her hair, but they were long enough to hang loosely off of the fronts and sides of her beast. Her green eyes shinnied brighter then the stars. Even though I could never say it out loud… I think I'm falling for my new found friend.

"**KE'ANIA! SORA! REPORT TO THE BRIDGE!"** The sound of Donald's shouting snapped me out of my thoughts as her pink eyes met my ocean blue orbs.

"Oh Sora. I didn't see you there." She shyly said. "Well I guess it's a good thing. Come on let's go together." She cheered as one of her eyes reverted back to green and she smiled. I nodded as we started walking to our destination. Once we arrived, Ke'Ania started up and down with excitement as she saw the outside of a new world. **"WHAT'S THAT?"**

"This is was the outside of a world looks like. It says right her that this world is known as Wonderland." Goofy replied.

"**WELL WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR? LET'S HURRY UP AND LAND!"** She cheered/ commanded.

…

…

…

When we landed, it was in some type of a garden. "This is it? This is Wonderland? Hump it's dull, but I have to say that there are some pretty flowers here." Ke'Ania said as she walked away.

"That's weird." Donald questioned.

"What is?" I asked while looking at him.

"This place is nothing like what the radar said it would be like." Donald wondered.

"Maybe there's a secret passageway we have to take to get to the really part of the world." Goofy suggested.

"Well then all we have to do is split up and find it." I said as I walked over to tell Ke'Ania the plan. She sat in a bed of roses and started to pick them. I didn't want to disrupt the picture painted before me, but the quicker we finished our job, the better. "Hey Ke'Ania. I have the plan~"

"Sora look." She whispered as one of her slender fingers silenced my lips. She pointed in the direction behind her. "It's a white rabbit… and it's wearing a little vest. Donald! Goofy! Come here!" Ke'Ania whispered for them to come over. We all watched as the rabbit proclaimed rhymes about being late.

"_Oh great. A rhyming, talking, vest wearing white rabbit. Is Donald sure that we're in the right part of the world?"_

"Come on!" She said as she grabbed my hand and smiled. "Let's see where he takes us." I thank the havens that I have an excuse as to why there is a light blush on my cheeks. We ran in different directions as the white rabbit scurried along. I was a little disappointed when Ke'Ania let go of my hand. It felt empty and cold. "Oh, Mr. Rabbit…! Where are you?" Ke'Ania called as she searched through some bushes. "Ohhhh where did that little white rabbit go?" Ke'Ania pouted as she stomped her foot.

"_That was actually cute."_

"**HOW MANY FUCKING LITTLE WHITE ANIMALS COULD BE IN THIS FUCKING GARDEN?"** Donald jumped up and down angrily.

"You mean besides you?" I snickered at my own comment.

"**SORA!" **He almost growled… if he wasn't a duck, he might actually have passed it off.

"Donald. Remember your blood pressure." Goofy warned.

"**Guys! Over here!"** Ke'Ania cried out as she stood next to an oddly shaped n fattened tree.

"What is Ke'Ania?" I asked her.

"The White Rabbit went down this hole." Ke'Ania told us as she pointed at the darkened hole.

"Are you sure?" I questioned as she nodded.

Her head and brown eyes slowly turned toward the hole. Her voice was just as confused as my thoughts. "I don't know how or why, but I heard someone whisper my name. I was faint, but clear. It was as if I was destined to go down this hole…"

"Ke'Ania~" I reached for her, but withdrew it when she gave me a mischievous grin. I was shocked.

"_I don't think her eyes ever turned black before."_

"And besides… even if I wasn't destined to go down the hole… I still would wanna go down. Have to find out where the rabbit went." She smiled as she stuck her head in the hole.

"Be careful Ke'Ania." I warned, but I knew she didn't listen.

"Whoa… I wonder how deep this hole goes?" She lifted her right hand and stretched it into the dark hole before I heard the ground beneath her slightly crumble. "Sora… I'm slipping!" She yelled. Without thinking I grabbed her by her waist. She was flailing her arms in an attempt to grab something… making my job far less comfortable.

"_My dick sure picked the wrong time to find this situation/ position arousing."_ I scoffed.

"**Sora! Ke'Ania! You two are too young to be doing that!"**Donald quacked as both Goofy and he peaked through their fingers.

"**GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER AND HELP US HERE!"** I yelled at them. Donald and Goofy wrapped their arms around my midsection and we all pulled, but when Ke'Ania slipped in… so did we.

It was amazing. It was like floating on a cloud. As we fell everything around us was in slow motion. Ke'Ania and I were laughing; Donald screamed the whole way; and Goofy relaxed until he fell hard against the pattern tile. As we fell, all kinds of different furniture remained still against the wall. After Goofy's hard landing, Donald fell on top of him. Despite the harsh gravity, we were forced to face the closer we got to the ground; I landed gently and then caught Ke'Ania in my arms before we landed. Her eyes were a pretty pink and a light blush appeared on her cheeks as she jumped out of my arms. Her back was turned toward me with her arms behind her back, but she had already seen my blush. "We should get going." She said. We all nodded, but stopped when Donald started to speak.

"Ok guys I have only one rule: While we're in these worlds, we must not interfere with their affairs." Donald announced before he started walking.

"But if we must protect the princesses then we have to interfere with the world's affairs, right?" Ke'Ania corrected with her hands on her hips.

"We'll that's true but~"

"So then what you just said… I'm choosing to ignore." She humped as she pushed passed the short duck.

"**WHAT WHY?"** Donald screamed.

"Because you just contradicted yourself and I don't listen to contradictions." She waved her finger at him before flicking him on the beak.

"**HEY! YOU CAN'T DO TH~"** Donald started, but stopped when Ke'Ania interrupted him.

"Now if I was a white rabbit…. Where would I hide?" She questioned as she looked around.

"**I'M LATE! I'M LATE! FOR A VER IMPORTANT DATE!" **The White Rabbit announced as he scurried passed us.

"**HEY! WAIT UP!"** We all shouted as we chased after him. He led us down a dark hallway. Donald used his staff as a torch as we cautiously continued down the hallway.

"Look!" Ke'Ania shouted as she ran to a door. "I wonder if it's open?" She asked.

"Only one way to find out…" I said as I turned the knobbed and opened the door, only to be greeted by… "Another door? What the fuck?" I exclaimed as I opened another door, and another, and another, and another until I reached a medium sized door.

"This better be the last one." Donald huffed with his arms crossed over his chest.

"_I couldn't agree with you more."_

I grabbed the knobbed and slowly opened the door. Behind that door was a lit pinkish room. "Do you think this is where he lives?" Goofy asked.

"**I'M LATE! I'M LATE! I'M HERE, WHEN I SHOULD BE THERE! OH DEAR! THE QUEEN WILL HAVE MY HEAD FOR SURE!"** The White Rabbit screamed as he ran through another door with a face on the knob.

"_Can this get any weirder?"_

"Wait!" Ke'Ania shouted as she crouched in front of the last door.

"How did he get so small?" Donald asked as the rest of us also crouched in front of the small door.

"_**Get out of my face. You just woke me up from my nap."**_ The doorknob glared as us as we jumped back.

"_I stand corrected."_

"What the hell are you?" Donald questioned.

"I'm a doorknob feathered brain. Now get the fuck out of my face so I can finish my nap." The doorknob snapped back.

"Wait! Tell us how we can get smaller." I commanded.

"It's not that simple." The doorknob yawned. "In this room, lies a faster route to where the White Rabbit's destination is. All you have to do is find it; and when you're done, just drink the orange bottle to grow smaller and the blue bottle to grow bigger. Good luck." He smirked before he started to snore.

"Well that was helpful." I scoffed.

"Maybe you're wrong Sora. He actually gave us more than he probably meant too." Ke'Ania said as she stood up.

"What do you mean?" I asked while standing next to her.

"You have to analyze the situation. We are in, what I assume, is the outskirt of the actual Wonderland. So far everything we've encountered has been out of the ordinary, correct?" She asked while walking around the room and staring and messing at every little thing.

"Yeah?" Donald, Goofy, and I answered together.

"So then that means that the alternative route must be hidden near somewhere out of the ordinary. Now… the only question is… where…?" Her hands slid and felt everything within the room. "Quick. Name all the places you would expect a hidden passage to be." She commanded.

"A book shelf." I answered first.

"A chimney." Donald answered next.

"Somewhere along the wall?" Goofy answered.

"Bingo." Ke'Ania said as she pointed to Goofy. "Even though this is a strange place, they have to have something semi-normal. Because… being so used to all the different places to hide a door or passageway, some would never expect something so easy to be a secret entrance. The last question is where, along these fur walls, is that entrance. This part is a little tricky because it has to be normal, but at the same time unexpected."

"Wow, that's good detective work Ke'Ania I smiled at her I leaned against the table with my arms crossed. She flashed her pink eyes at me before smiling with the most adorable blush ever.

"Hey, I think I found what you were talking about." Goofy said as he stood next to the bed.

Ke'Ania, Donald, and I walked over to him. Ke'Ania looked down and saw what Goofy was pointing to before she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Goofy! You're a genius!"

"Well garsh. I am?" Goofy blushed wildly as Ke'Ania tried to move the bed around.

"Yes, you are. It would make sense to put the route behind the bed, the unexpected place, and on the wall, the usual spot. Sora help me move the bed." Ke'Ania commanded. I nodded as I walked over and helped move the bed, but when we tried to move it… it wouldn't move. Both Ke'Ania and I stood up and whipped away beads of sweat off our foreheads. "How the fuck do you move this thing?" When Ke'Ania was about to speak, both of us leaned on the bed and fell to the floor, face first.

"Oh, look Sora… we moved it." She groaned as she got up.

"Lovely." I dusted myself off as I stood up.

"Well we have our entrance, now the only thing we have to do is drink the formula." Ke'Ania said as we all walked over to the table. I was the first to pick up the bottle and drank it. I handed it to Ke'Ania before I could feel myself sinking to the floor. Ke'Ania drank it next before handing it to Goofy, who then handed to Donald. Everything looked so different from our new standing point. "Come on. Let's see if we can catch up to him." Ke'Ania cheered as she started jogging to the entrance.

"Wait up Ke'Ania!" I yelled as I jogged after her. When we walked through the entrance, there was a small garden, but my attention was drawn more to the giant fat lady sitting at a tall judge's bench. Next to her was another tall box with a winding staircase on her right hand side, on her left was a cage and an empty jury box. My eyes followed the red rug that showed me black and red card-like people, and landed on a long blond haired girl wearing a light blue dress.

"Shhh." Donald whispered to us as we saw the White Rabbit run up the winding stairs of the second stand with a trumpet.

The rabbit blew his and everything in the garden was silent. "Hear me! Hear me! Your Majesty, The Queen of Hearts, has called this court to order against the accused, Alice!" The rabbit announced as he took a deep breath.

"Sora… that girl is a princess." Ke'Ania whispered to me.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"I've got this urge of protectiveness for her, just like I had with Jane. Everything with Jane feels the same… even the connection feels the same somewhat." Ke'Ania said with green eye glued onto the girl.

"Do you know why you are being charged?" the Queen asked.

"No I don't." The girl replied.

"It's because I said so." The Queen proclaimed.

"What proof do you have?" Alice argued.

"Did you not just hear, "Because I said so."? Now since you insulted and mouthed off to me, you shall be severely punished. **OFF WITH HER HEAD!**" The Queen yelled as Alice screamed. I clenched my fists and teeth.

"_I can't let this happen."_

"**STOP THIS!"** Ke'Ania yelled as she ran in front of Alice to protect her. I, of course ran after her. **"ARE YOU FUCKIN IN INSANE YOU OVER GROWN BLIMP? WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO BEHEAD SOMEONE OF YOUR OWN FREE WILL?"** She continued to yell.

"**DIDN'T YOU HEAR? **_**I AM QUEEN**_**! I RULE THIS WORLD WITH AN IRON FIST! THAT MEANS WHAT I SAW GOES! GUARDS! SEIZE THE INTROUDERS!"** The Queen shouted. Her card men were ready and so was I. I summoned my Keyblade, ready to fight, but then Ke'Ania grabbed my arms and lowered them.

"Although I love a little bit of violence every now and again, but I have a plan. Just followed my led." Ke'Ania whispered to me before turning to face the Queen. To make sure the Queen heard her, Ke'Ania jumped on the Queen's Bench and stood with pride. "Your Majesty! If we can find evidence of the accused actions then you _**will**_ let her go." Ke'Ania commanded.

"And what if you fail?" The Queen smirked.

I didn't hear it, but I could somehow sense Ke'Ania's fear. "Then we are yours to do with as you please."

"**FINE!** Bring me all of the evidence you find. I want the duck and dog here. You and the boy my travel together. **GUARDS! BRING ME THE GIRL, THE BIRD, AND DOG LIKE CREATURE!**" Both Ke'Ania and I watched as they put Alice in a cage while Donald and Goofy stood in the empty jury box.

"Don't worry Donald, Goofy, and Alice!" Ke'Ania shouted as she jumped down from the bench and smiled as everyone. "Sora and I will get you got of this unharmed. Come on, Sora. We have work to do." I nodded as I followed her into a mysterious forest.

"Hey Ke'Ania?"

"Huh?"

"Do you ever get the feeling that we're being watched?" I asked as I looked around the forest.

"Yeah, I have, but what do you expect. It's Wonderland." She responded before we started walking again.

…

…

…

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

Sora and I have been looking for some more evidence for what seemed like hours. "Arg. There's too much forest!" I yelled as I stopped my foot in frustration.

"I wish we had some type of clue." Sora sighed as he sat on a boulder.

"_**A clue you wish? A clue I shall dish!"**_

"Who's there?" Sora and I asked as we looked around the forest.

"_**I am the help you require. I am the Cheshire Cat you have hired."**_ Said a purple stripped cat as he leaned against the bolder Sora was sitting on.

"Ok… That isn't weird at all." I said sarcastically.

"Are you here to help us find our evidence?" Sora asked as the cat nodded. "Thanks. So where is the first clue?"

"_**You will find me after you do. I am the color blue. Tata now."**_ Both Sora's and my mouths dropped when we watched the cat disappear.

"Why the hell does everything have to be in riddles?" Sora groaned.

"Well at least this one is easy. We just have to find something blue in this forest." I stated as she started walking. We walked for about five minutes before I stumbled in a miniature meadow of giant mushrooms. "Hey Sora. Look. I think I found something." Ke'Ania called toward Sora.

"What is that?" Sora asked as he crouched in front of the blue mark.

"I don't know, but I'll bet money that this must be the blue thing the Cheshire Cat was talking about. I wonder how to activate it?" I wondered while tracing my fingers over the blue mark. Both of us jumped when the mark started to glow. "Whoa did you see that?" I asked.

"Yeah. Did you do that?" Sora asked while studying my hand.

"I think so, but when it lit up… it was only half powered. Let me try something. Give me your hand." I commanded. Sora didn't hesitate as he had to fight a battle with a blush. It almost made me smile. I gently took his hand in my and placed the two over the mark, with my hand on top. The mark started to glow even brighter. When we slowly pulled our hands away, a small pink box with red ribbon appeared out of the ground.

"What's inside?" Sora asked.

"I don't know." I said before I unwrapped the box and took out a picture. "A picture? And look, it's of Alice and she's… drinking tea?" I questioned as I looked at each one.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know Sora, but… I think that this will help us in freeing Alice."

"_**You are correct oh wise one beyond her years."**_ Both of us turned toward a thick branch that held a shit-eating grinning cat. _**"You're so smart, my heart, is filled with tears."**_

"Cheshire Cat look! We found the first clue!" I cheered as I held the picture. The cat disappeared and then reappeared in front of me.

"_**May I see?"**_ I nodded as I handed him our first piece of evidence. Before he spoke his grin widen. _**"You feel me with so much glee. I shall hold onto to this piece of evidence~"**_

"Does that also mean that you'll lead us to the second clue? And will you also give the evidence back to us?" Sora questioned as he kneeled in front of the Cheshire. I started to giggle when the cat's grin disappeared as he shook his head.

"_**I'm sorry to say this, dear boy, but… you're so dense." **_Cheshire sighed. _**"Of course I'll give it back. Where do you think this cat is getting at?"**_

"Hey! I was just making sure, jeez." Sora humped as he crossed his arms and turned his head to the side. The cat's grin returned as he put his hands up defensibly.

"_**Very well. Fair enough. Now don't dwell. The next clue is a little tough. Jump, jump, jump, high, high you go. But dear teens tell me… how high will you go? Bye bye?"**_ Both Sora and I had confused looks on our face as the Cheshire disappeared again.

"I hate this place and their stupid rhymes." Sora confessed as he ran his fingers through the front of his spikes.

"Well at least we know one thing…" I sighed.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Sora teased as he bent down at me with a smirk on his face.

"At least we know that the next clue is in a high place." I smirked back as I pushed his face away from mine. "Come on, our best bet is to check the top of trees and things." I started walked over to the shortest of the three mushrooms and started climbing with Sora trailing behind me.

"Trees and things?" Sora teased as he kneeled beside me.

"Shut up. You knew what I meant." I smiled back as we continued to climb until I got to the top. I started to look around, trying to figure out where this new evidence was.

"See anything Ke'Ania?" Sora said as he stood next to me.

"Not yet~ wait, what's that?" I said as I pointed toward another tree only five minutes from here. Sora leaned over the edge to get a better look.

"Is that a present box?" He said. "I think it is. Come on Ke'Ania." I nodded as I followed him to the tree.

When we got there the present was waiting for us on the top of the tree's leaves. We used the mushrooms to climb to the top, but when I tried to jump for the flower decorated ledge, I missed and barely held onto the ledge. Right when I was about to fall, Sora caught my wrists and pulled me up. I panted a little before saying a thank you. We stood up and jumped to the branch. We walked together and picked up the present. I opened the box and pulled out another picture of Alice sleeping under a tree.

"Another picture of Alice? If what you said is true about these pictures… then I can't figure out how they'll help her?" Sora said as he stared at me but I was too busy analyzing the picture to look into his eyes.

"I think I'm starting to figure it out… I think that if we show these pictures to the Queen then we can prove that whatever she's accusing Alice of…isn't true." I said.

"You really think so Ke'Ania?" Sora almost whispered to me.

"_**I think she's onto something to…"**_ The Cheshire said as he walked toward us. _**"Boy, I think you could learn a thing or two."**_ The cat's grin widens.

"I'm starting to think that you don't like me." Sora teased.

"_**Of course I do you doof. All I ever do is tell the truth."**_

"Cheshire, is what I said the truth?" I asked as I handed him the new picture.

"_**You are there and yet you're not. To find the next clue you must move from this spot. Something so simple and new can be deceiving, so with that I'll be leaving. Goodbye."**_ The cat disappeared again after he snapped his claws. And again Sora and I were left with nothing but confusion.

"I'm glad you're here Ke'Ania." Sora sighed as he sat on the branch.

"Really?" I smiled as I sat next to him. "Why?"

"Because I don't think I would be smart enough to solve this stuff on my own and also I like your company." He smiled as he stared at nothing in particular.

"My company?"

"Yeah. Even though I'm on this adventure… with you here… there's a guarantee that I'll never get bored." He confessed. I felt as heat rose in my cheeks and my eyes turned pink. "Come on." I took his out stretched hand as he lifted me up. "We have to hurry." He smiled at me with a light blush on his face, but he didn't care… and neither did I.

We jumped from mushroom to mushroom until we finally hit the ground. We started walking as I tried to figure out the clue. "Got any ideas?" Sora asked me as he walked next to me with his hands behind his head.

"All I know is that the clue is that is something that shouldn't be here."

"That part I know." Sora added. "How we get to this object is the hard part."

"I know, but~ Hey Sora, was that there before?" I asked as I looked at this really weird yellow closed flower.

"No. Where did it come from?" Sora asks.

"Who cares. Come on." I said as I grabbed his hand and ran over to it. "Maybe it's the thing Cheshire mentioned." When we got there, the flower stood at least 6 feet tall. I already knew I couldn't reach it so I turned toward Sora with little sad kitty eyes.

"Ok, fine I get the picture. I'm going. I'm going. I hate that I'm a sucker for that." Sora faked groaned as he tried to reach the top of the folded yellow flower, but he came up a little… short. "I can't reach it."

"Bend down." I commanded as I walked behind him. I rolled my eyes when his eyes and face held confusion. "I'm going to hop on your shoulders and try to reach inside of the flower." He nodded as I placed my legs over his shoulders. He wobbled when he stood up, so he grabbed the tall grass and held on. "Steady yourself." I said as I stood on his shoulders.

"I'm trying." He grunted out. I was just tall enough to reach inside. I stood on my tippy toes, but shrieked when I fell in. "Ke'Ania? Are you ok?" Sora shouted.

"I'm fine and I got the evidence." I cheered. "Now help me get out of here."

"How?" He asked.

"I don't know. Getting stuck inside flowers is something I don't usually do." I said sarcastically.

"Oh ha, ha misses funny. Just hang on. I'll get you out of there!"

"Please hurry." I begged as I held onto the box and hung my head. _"He'll get me out. I know he will."_ My head shot up when I felt the flower shake. "What are you doing Sora?"

"Hang on tight! I'm about to get you out!" He shouted as the flower continued to shake. I almost screamed when I felt the petals, I was pressed against, give way. As I fell out, I felt the box leave my hands and myself fall until I hit something hard and warm. The object and I fell to the floor as I heard the box roll in another direction. Both the object and I groaned as I sat up, only to have my whole face turn red and my wide eyes get as pink as they could get. A pair of wide beautiful ocean blue orbs and another bright red face looking at me. The person who was underneath me was Sora and the object I hit was his chest. Neither one of us spoke for a while until I felt his gloved hand caress my cheek. "Are you ok Ke'Ania?" I slowly nodded as I got up and helped him up. I always liked holding his hand, but… it was different this time. It was like a bolt of electricity shot through my body just from touching his hand. For some reason I felt dizzy and almost fell until he caught me with his free hand. "Whoa be careful." He gently said as I nodded. I forcibly removed myself from his warm chest and hold.

"W-we sho-should get the evidence." I stammered out before I walked over to the box and pulled out another picture of Alice, who was laughing at two egged like twin people.

"Young people!" A Spades Card Knights shouted, catching our attention. "The Queen ordered for your return! She says that your time is up!" The card repeated the message as both Sora and I nodded. We didn't care that our time was up because we thought we had enough evidence.

When we arrived, Donald, Goofy, and Alice all had worried expressions on their faces. Both Sora and I had smiles on our faces as we stood in the accused box. "Your Majesty! We have our evidence. Now you shall let them go!" I yelled as I started a glaring match with the fat queen.

"Hump. We shall see. **GUARDS! BRING ME THEIR EVIDENCE!"** The Queen commanded as one of her Heart Knights did as it was told. The Queen took forever before she through the evidence back at us. **"THESE PICTURES PROVE NOTHING! GUARDS! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"** The queen shouted for the guards to do as they were told.

"_**Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. What a fine mess you've put them in."**_ We heard the Cheshire Cat mock as he appeared on the Queen's bench. _**"Even worse than the boy's… your thought process is thin."**_

"**WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM!"** The Queen shouted.

"_**Here. There. I come from everywhere, but I've come to tell you that you are unfair."**_

"**UNFAIR! HOW DARE YOU!"**

"_**How dare you. Not giving them one last chance is an unfair thing that you do. I must plead with you, before you make them bleed. Give them one last chance, before you make them do your evil dance."**_ The Cheshire pleaded.

"_All these rhymes are making my head hurt."_ I groaned as I held my head.

"Fine. You have ten minutes to bring me some evidence to save yourselves and the girl." The Queen granted.

"Oh thank you Your Majesty." I bowed before Sora and I started walking back to the forest.

"Wait! You, boy, must do this task alone. The girl will remain with Alice until you come back. But… if you're even one second late… off with everyone's head! Now be gone!"

"Sora!" I yelled as I was being taken away from Sora and thrown into the cage.

"Ke'Ania!" Sora yelled as he gripped the handle bars. "Don't worry! I'll get you out of there!" He promised.

"Please hurry." I said as he nodded and ran back into the forest with the Cheshire right behind him.

"Do you think he will be back in time?" Alice said as she looked at me.

"Don't worry. Sora promised… and he never breaks a promise." I reassured her with a forced smile. _"And you better not start now."_

**Sora's P.O.V.**

I raced into the forest so fast people would have thought the Devil, himself, was at my heels. "Cheshire! Give me the last clue!" I shouted at the panting purple cat.

"_**Relax. Calm down. Are you in a rush for death? Can I at least catch my breath?"**_

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"_**I see that you're in a rush so I'll make this quick with just one flick."**_ I watched as Cheshire flicked his wrists and five of these flower like platforms grew in front of me and led me to a hole in the tree. _**"These new objects will lead you to where you want to go, but be warned… you must let the knowledge flow. Where you must go is a familiar room, but like the queen said… be even a second late… and you'll be the cause of everyone's doom. But no pressure. Now I must take my leave. Remember my dare boy… just like your friends… all you have to do is believe."**_ Cheshire said right before he disappeared out of my sights. I didn't have time to question anything. My time was running out. I ran up the platform like stairs before I ran through the dark hole. I didn't feel anything until the ground wasn't there and fell. It felt like forever until I saw a red brick like object I was going to fall on.

When I landed, it was with as with a groan, but it was worth it. There, right there in front of me was a pink and red box. My eyes widen when I pulled out the new picture. The Queen looked like she was commanding an army of Heartless. _"So she's one of __**THEM**__, huh? That explains a lot."_ Even though I was interested in the picture, I didn't have time to ponder over it. When I looked around the room, I noticed that I was in the Rabbit's room and right across from my position was the secret route. I jumped from the fireplace and started running for the entrance before I was ambush by some Heartless. _"I don't have time for this."_ I growled as I summoned my Keyblade and started slashing Heartless as I ran.

I ran through the passage way and jumped straight onto the Queen 's Bench, glaring at her the whole time. "Ah, so you're back? Did you get the evidence?" She smugly asked me.

"Sora!" I heard Ke'Ania yell from the cage, but my eyes never left the Queen's.

"I got the evidence." I started out before I slammed the picture on her bench. "And I know your secret." I practically growled.

"What are you talking about?" Donald asked.

"Queenie here can control and lead Heartless. She's part of _**Those **_people who want to kidnap the princesses." I explained, earning me a chuckle from the Queen.

"Every good. I guess you're not as dumb as I thought. **"GUARDS! ATTACK THIS BOY!"**

"**SORA! HELP" **Everyone yelled. Donald and Goofy were bound by two Card Knights while the cage Ke'Ania and Alice were in was covered in a red cape.

I jumped down, readied my Keyblade and fought of at least fifteen Card Knights. The battle was hard and they did land about ten powerful hits on my body, but I managed to come out on top. Once my Knights were knocked out, I released Donald and Goofy. "Ok Ke'Ania, Alice. It's safe to come out now!" I called as I pulled back the curtain to see that both girls and the queen were gone.

"They must've left while you were fighting." Goofy said before we heard Ke'Ania scream.

"**AHHHHHH!"**

"That was Ke'Ania! Come on!" I yelled at them.

We ran, while I limped, back into the Rabbit's room only to come face to face with the Queen standing on the table, a giant Heartless with two maracas in one hand while the other held Ke'Ania, but what I didn't see was Alice. "Where's Alice!" I yelled at the Queen.

"Like you need to know. **"GET THEM TRICKSTER!" **The Queen commanded. The Trickster used its one hand to swing its maracas at us. We rolled out of the way. My body shook and made me fall to my knees in pain and exhaustion. It wasn't until I surpassed the pain and fatigue that I noticed that we were all slightly burnt.

"What the hell?" I said.

"Sora! The Trickster uses fire! That means you have to use ice!" Donald said.

"Ice? Do you see a refrigerator around here?" I asked back.

"**NO YOU BLUNDERHEAD! I MEAN USE YOUR ICE MAGIC!"** Donald shouted back.

"But I can't use magic." I said as I dodged another attack from the Trickster's shakers.

"You have to focus! Picture the Trickster on frozen in a block of ice!" Donald instructed as he shot a piece of ice at the Heartless.

"**HELP ME! DONALD! GOOFY! SSSSSOOOOORRRRAAAAA!"** Ke'Ania screamed as the Trickster shook her.

"**HOLD ON KE'ANIA!"** Donald yelled as he ran over to the Trickster.

**YEAH, WE'RE A'COMING!"** Goofy assured her as he began to spin around.

Ke'Ania is in danger, and despite how scared I am… I have to at least try. I closed my eyes and tried to focus. Everything around me became dark and all the noises became silence in my ears. I chanted the word 'ice' over and over again in my head until I saw piles and piles of ice stack itself onto the Trickster's body. I could feel a chill run through my body and into my Keyblade. I felt powerful. When I opened my eyes, every sound, movement, and sight returned to me. I yelled a mighty battle cry before I ran toward the Trickster and stuck my Keyblade into the ground beneath it. Just like in my vision piles upon piles of ice started to cling to the Trickster's body. I had enough power for it to reach its knees, but that's ok with me. I used the chair to jump and slice through the ice, making both its legs and the ice shatter. I smiled when the Trickster started tumbling down.

"**SSSSOOOORRRRAAAA!"** My smile disappeared when I saw Ke'Ania fall out of the Trickster's grasp. I hopped on the table and dove straight for her. I caught her, but then we headed start for the ground. Once we hit it, we started rolling along the ground. I hit it and hissed in pain when I felt one of my minor wounds open up wider along my stomach. "Sora? Sora are you ok?" She said with worry in her voice and gray eyes.

"I'm fine. I just~" I started to hiss when Ke'Ania accidentally touched my newly opened wound.

"I'm sorry Sora. Here, let me see your wound." She said as she pushed me down, slide my jacket down, and slowly unzip my jumpsuit. When she stopped it was right at my waist. Any lower and she would've seen my boxers. "Your wound is burnt and a little deep. You need to be cured now." She said.

"But what about the Trickster?" I grunted out as I tried to sit up again.

"**DONALD! COME HEAL SORA! GOOFY! MAKE SURE HE DOESN'T MOVE!"** Ke'Ania commanded as she stood in front of me.

"What are you going to do?" Donald asked as he ran over to us and started healing me.

"_**I'm going to have a little fun with the Trickster."**_ She growled as walked over to the struggling Heartless. _**"Hey! Stupid! How about you pick on someone that can match your magic powers?"**_ I heard Ke'Ania evilly tease as she stood tall before the Trickster.

My eyes widen in fear and amazement when I saw Ke'Ania jump and escaped the random swing of its fire engulfed weapon. While she was in midair, she opened her hand and released long line of, solid, ice onto its lower half. After freezing its lower half to the ground, Ke'Ania did a front flip and landed behind the Heartless and summoned both Keyblades. She jumped onto the frozen ice and started running towards the chest of the semi frozen Heartless, leaving nothing but steam in her wake, and stabbed her Keyblades into its chest. Her Keyblades started to glow red and steam blew from them before she jumped off of it, sporting a smile non to friendly. Even though it was faint and her bangs covered them, I could see the red in her eyes. She slowly extended her right hand toward the Heartless' face and it started to glow white and light blue. After her hand was completely engulfed in the strange light, she touched her upper lip before slowly spinning in a 360 degree. Donald, Goofy, and I watched in amazement as a big pile of solid ice suddenly formed around the Trickster's body. I was still shocked that it was still able to move. After the ice stopped growing, Ke'Ania slowly bent over before rising up, bringing her right leg up with both of her arms. Her leg stood strong next to her left while her left hand wrapped itself around her right elbow before she pulled her arm back and jerked it forward; her left hand never left her elbow. With the jerk of her hand came a powerful rushed of frigid air and more piles of ice started to stack itself on top of the Heartless' body. There was so much ice… I couldn't even see its body anymore. When she released her hand from its hold on her elbow, she rolled her left wrist outward before her evil smile returned and she said _**'Goodbye'**_. Once the mischievous, soft words left her mouth… Ke'Ania snapped her fingers and made the ice and the Heartless disappear along with her red eyes and smile.

"Ke'Ania?" I asked softly as I tried to get up, but the rest of my wounds and body protested.

"I'm fine. Stay still." She said nicely as I nodded. Her hands started to glow green as she barely ran her hands over my wounded skin. Donald and Goofy watched as she easily healed everyone. Ke'Ania focused on her work. And I… I just stared at her orange eyes.

"_She's getting tired."_

And I was right. Right as she finished, her body fell limp towards the floor before I caught her. "Sorry. I guess that power took more out of me then I thought." She tried to laugh as she smirked.

"What was that power Ke'Ania?" I asked as I scooped her into my arms bridal-style.

"Let's just say that… it's a hidden power that's been awakened. I'm starting to get tired." She almost whispered against my chest. Her eyes were almost awake, but I tell she was losing the fight.

"So what now?" Goofy asked.

"_**Yall need to leave that's what." **_We all turned our heads to see an angry doorknob. _**"With all that commotion, my nap was disrupted. Stupid humans."**_ The Doorknob pouted.

"Well we're sorry for saving your sorry ass. Next time we'll be sure not to save you." Donald said as he flicked the Doorknob's nose.

"_**Whatever."**_He yawned as I light glow from inside his mouth. It looked like another keyhole. My Keyblade reacted. I slowly dropped Ke'Ania's legs and summoned my Keyblade and sealed the keyhole.

"_Huh, I'm surprised that I __**just**__ figured that out. Damn you Leon."_

After I sealed the Keyhole, I hooked my arms under Ke'Ania's legs again and turned to leave. "By the way Sora… where _**is**_ Alice?" Donald asked me.

"_**Alice, Alice, Alice… what a name. Too bad now she's a missing dame."**_ Just as I was about to answer, the Cheshire Cat appeared with his signature trademark grin.

"Missing? What do you mean missing?" I asked.

"_**The Queen kidnapped the little girl. Now she's gone, gone to another world."**_ He said as he jumped in front of me.

"Do you know what world she's in?" Goofy asked.

"_**That answer I do not know. Since I am now help to you… I must G.O. Go. Tata."**_ He said before disappearing.

"Does he always speak in riddles?" Donald asked. I knobbed, but stopped when I heard Ke'Ania's light snoring.

"_Isn't she cute."_

"So what now Sora?" Goofy asked.

"We need to head back to the ship and rest up. Maybe we'll find her in the next world." I said as I made Ke'Ania take the first sip before me, Donald, and Goofy. Once we were fully grown, we walked back to the part where we fell from and Donald used his air power to lift us out of the Rabbit's hole. After we left, I gently laid Ke'Ania on her bed before removing some of her bangs from her face.

"_I promise to get stronger so I can save the worlds… so I can save my friends… so I can protect Ke'Ania."_


	9. Being the Best at Being You

**Chapter 8: Being the Best at Being You**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

My body ached a little bit but I knew I had to wake up and start the day. A new set of visible darkness filled my eye sight through my fluttering eye lashes. My head and hands rested on a fluffy pillow while the rest of my body floated on a soft, cloud-like bed. I slowly sat up and did a back popping stretch before looking around at my surroundings. _"I'm in my room? But how?"_ I thought as I placed my sock covered feet onto the cold metal ground. Before doing anything else, I stripped myself of my red and white clothing and replaced them with one of Sora's white t-shirts. Not caring about how my old clothes were laid out on my bed, I walked out of my room and into the hallway.

I had to shield my eyes from the florescent lights for a second but quickly recovered. Right when I was about to head towards the kitchen, I heard snoring coming from Sora's room. The door was slightly opened so I tip-toed inside. _"He looks so cute."_ I thought as he snored. I lightly giggled when I looked at the average teenage boys' sleeping position. The covers were disheveled and tangled around his legs. He was lying on his back, one hand lying next to his head, mouth wide open every time he inhaled and closing every time he exhaled, and . His chest was bare, but his lower half and right hand was concealed by black, drawstring basketball shorts. I wanted to laugh when I confirmed that the design of his hair… really is bed head. _"Well at least it looks good on him."_ I untangled the blankets from his legs and tucked them around his body. I used my fingers to caress his cheek, but was surprised when he subconsciously leaned into the touch. "Thank you… Sora." I whispered before I tip-toed back out of his room, gently shut the door, and strolled into the kitchen.

I went to work immediately, just like the mops. _"Speaking of which…"_ "Mops." I called to one of them. I waited for one of them to approach. "My clothes from yesterday are on my bed. Would you please wash them for me before we arrive in the next world?" I asked before two of them, what I believe, nodded. I laughed as they marched toward my room before returning back to my cooking.

I had just finished cooking when, right on cue, my boys arrived, drooling and with emptied stomachs. "Glad to see that you hate to sleep through breakfast boys." I teased as I set down our plates.

"Of course not." Donald said.

"Donald's right Ke'Ania. We just love your cooking." Goofy complimented.

"Yeah. And since Donald cooked last night, I've been itching for some of your cooking." Sora cheered before Donald struck him with lightning. I fell over in giggles when Sora flew in the air and came back down, literally smoking. He struggled to climb back into his set and glare at Donald, who never looked up from his plate.

"**WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR DUCK?" **Yelled Sora.

"Respect your elders and their cooking." Donald smirked.

"Yeah I'll respect you… _when you're fried and served with gravy._" Sora whispered the last part as he bit into his toast. I couldn't help, but laugh at their antics. It was like we were a bunch of siblings living together. The tension at the table wasn't real but I still had to feel like I need to relieve us of it.

"So… where's the next world for us to visit?" I said as I picked up everyone's plates and put them in the dishwasher.

"I haven't checked yet, but when you're finished then we can all go and find out in the control center." Donald said as he laid his head on the table.

Once I finished doing the dishes, we walked into the control room and watched Donald press key after key until a world appeared on the screen. "It says here that the next world is called Olympus, but where we will find the keyhole in somewhere called the Olympus Coliseum. Whatever that is." Sora informed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Sora. Don't you remember?" I asked as I turned to look at him.

"Remember what?"

"In Mrs. Harp's World History class? She taught was all about Olympus. It's the home of the Gods and Goddess and of course the world famous Hercules. Don't you remember?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

"Sorry." He replied as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head with a "I'm sorry" grin on his face. "That was one of the classes I slept through."

"Well it's a good thing that Ke'Ania's here, or else we would be screwed." Donald imputed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why must you always have to make me look bad in front of Ke'Ania?" Sora asked with a glare on his face.

"It's not me idiot… it's you." Donald replied as he slouched in his chair and closed his eyes.

"I hate you." Sora replied.

"**BOYS!"** I yelled to gain their attention. "How about let's get through one day without fighting and focus on what's more important… like finding Alice." I sighed as I leaned against one foot with my eyes closed and arms folded under my breasts.

"Ke'Ania's right fellas. We're a team. Now Sora… Donald… kiss and make up now." Goofy laughed.

It took a minute but we finally got the two big babies to apologize and hug. "Great, now that that's settled… **IT'S OFF TO OLYMPUS!**" Sora cheered as he raced for the door.

"Uh Sora… I think we should wait until we arrive first, and plus our clothes still aren't done yet." I said as Sora slumped to the floor.

Goofy and I laughed while Donald shook his head and whispered "Idiot" to himself.

…

…

…

After we were fully dressed and finally landed, we walked from the ship into a village to ask directions to the coliseum. Once we got them, and saved Donald from becoming someone's diner, we quickly made our way toward the gigantic structure. "So this is the Olympus Coliseum? Pretty impressive if you ask me." Sora said as he walked up to the door.

"Yeah, and pretty big too." Goofy added as he too made his way to the door. We had to push the door open together if we wanted to get through. The inside was _**a lot**_ bigger than the outside, but what can you expect. We looked around and saw all the announcements that hung around the entire place. We quickly made our way to the other giant sized door, but stopped when we saw a chalk board with another announcement on it.

"Hey Sora, what's this?" I asked as I bent over to have a better look.

"It looks like an advertisement for an upcoming event. And it looks like that it'll take place tomorrow." Sora replied as he stood next to me.

"We should join Sora." I cheered as he nodded.

"Oh no. There will be on joining of anything." Donald said as he shook his finger at us. "And besides, you said it yourself. We have to find Alice."

"Well maybe the Heartless that kidnapped Alice will be there. Once we find it then we'll find Alice, am I wrong?" I smirked in success.

"Well no, but…" Donald started to reply, but stopped when I cut him off.

"Then it's decided. And plus it'll be good for us to train while also having fun, no?" I smiled as I raced off towards the pre-opened doors.

"But what if you're wrong?" Donald questioned.

"Couldn't hurt to look!" Sora replied as he too raced off toward the door.

I heard Donald sigh before Goofy put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on Donald. It'll be good for you. You need to lighten up every now and again."

Once all four of us were inside, we looked around a small room and noticed that it had pre-won trophies, giant rock, and a small goat like man. "Oh good, the Hero _**finally**_ shows up. What did I tell you about sleeping in? Didn't I say that it'll make you soft? Once you're done moving all the stuff, then I'll make you sweat and bleed to make sure that you don't go soft. I guess since you're body is going soft, so is your mind so I'll remind you of the two key words a hero needs to know in order to be a hero. Eat. Bathe. Sleep." The goat man said as he moved throughout the room without ever looking at us.

"But that's three words sir." Goofy said as he held up the three fingers.

"What did you say maggot? Why I ought to make you run five hundred laps around the coliseum for saying that."

I wanted to laugh so badly, but I knew that this had to stop if we wanted to get somewhere. I walked up to him, bent down, and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me Mr. Goat Man." He jumped when he felt my finger touch his shoulder, but when he looked me in the eyes, he smiled and grabbed my hand.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea that I was talking to such a beautiful lady." He said as he kissed my hand with a smile before looking me in the eyes again. "Although had I known… I would have turned around sooner. Please don't let anything I say offend you."

Right before I was about to reply, Sora grabbed my hands and held them in his. "I'm sorry, but she's not interested in an old short pervert like you."

"Oh and how are you, her boyfriend?" The Goat Man asked with his hands on his fat hips.

Sora blushed before he looked away. "No he's not." _"I wish he was."_ "These are my friends Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

He looked at Sora, then to me, and then back at Sora. "So… he's not your boyfriend?"

"No… _I'm not."_ Sora whispered.

"Well then move aside shrimp and let a real man have a shot." He said as he pushed Sora out of the way before he took my hands again. "I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch your name."

"It's Ke'Ania." I replied as I sat on the floor so I could be at eye level with him.

Before he replied, he kissed my hands again and smiled. "Such a unique and pretty name for such a unique and pretty girl. My name's Philoctetes. But you can just call me Phil sweetheart."

"That's… a very nice name." I forced an invisible smile as I watched Phil flirt with me.

"Thank you. So please tell me… what can I do for you."

"Well actually we were looking for the petitioner for that announcement on the chalkboard. My friends and I would like to enter, if you don't mind." I said in a sweet voice, hoping to get his approval.

"Mind? Of course I mind." He replied.

"**WHAT?" **Sora, Donald, and Goofy yelled.

"What do you mean we can't enter?" Donald asked as he stepped closer to Phil.

"Well for the idiots in the room… You three can't enter because you are too weak." Phil said as he glared at them.

"And what about me?" I flirted while batting me eyelashes.

"Well I'm sorry but I can't let you enter because I don't want to see you get hurt." He answered.

Right before I was about to say anything, Sora grabbed my hands in his. "Well since you won't let us participate in your games… there's no reason for **us **to stay… right?" And right before Phil said anything Sora yanked me up and pulled me away.

"**WAIT!" **Phil yelled before we reached the door. "All of you can participate, but I have to train with each one of you privately."

"Done." Sora replied.

"Good, let's go. Your training starts now." Phil said as he started to walk into a hallway. Donald and Goofy we're too far behind… but Sora and I remained standing.

"That was close. For a minute… I thought he wasn't going to let us in." Sora grinned as he rubbed the back of his head. I didn't say a word as I stared at our hands.

"_They fit so perfectly together. They're so warm."_ I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to realize that Sora also noticed that our hands were still together. I almost whimpered when the comfortable warmth was removed.

"Sorry Ke'Ania… I didn't mean to… to…" Sora tried to apologize with the cutest little blush on his face. I didn't know what to say. I could heat in my cheeks and the pinkness of my eyes as I stood there motionless. "Well I guess we should hurry up and start our training. You know the games are tomorrow." His words caused me to snap out of my daze.

"What?" I gently said while looking at him.

"You coming?" Sora called from the entrance Donald, Goofy, and Phil disappeared into.

"Oh yeah. I'm coming." I replied as I followed behind him.

…

…

…

"**THIS IS OUTRAGOUS!"** I screamed as I threw one of the crates I was training on against the wall.

"Ke'Ania? What's wrong?" Goofy asked me.

"**I'M TIRED OF NOT TRAINING LIKE YOU GUYS! THIS CUTIES LITTLE COURSE WON'T CUT IT! I NEED TO WIN… AND THESE WEAK EXERCISES DON'T WORK!"**

"Ok, just calm down Ke'Ania." Phil said as he grabbed my hands. "Sora and I agreed to this course because we knew that it would be the safest. No one here wants to see you hurt." Phil tried to reassure me.

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself." I sneered as I snatched my hands back and folded them under my breasts. My glare intensified when Sora and Phil tried to move closer, but my red eyes scared them off.

"**PHIL! LET ME RUN THE COURSE!"** I commanded.

"I'm sorry but I can't."

"Fine than…" I said as I stepped closer to both Phil and Sora "Let me make something clear to the both of you… _**Either you two let me run the course… or I'll use each of you as my training dummies."**_ I growled at both of them before they finally agreed.

"Ok Phil I think Ke'Ania is ready for the course… don't you think?" Sora nervously asked as he hid behind Phil.

"Agreed. Everyone… let's set up Ke'Ania's course." Phil replied as everyone ran straight to their duties.

I had to wait for a few minutes before the course was finally finished. There were crates set up everywhere. Some were on the ground while others were high in the air. "So Ke'Ania… what do you think?" Phil asked me.

I took one last look at the course before jumping onto the square, where most of the boxes were being kept. I smirked before putting both hands on my hips and turned to look at the boys. "It's my kind of course. Phil… what are my rules?" I asked.

"You have to knock off or destroy all the boxes within five minutes… or else you can't qualify. You ready?" He nervously asked me before he held up his timer.

My smirk only widen when I summoned my Keyblades. _**"I was born ready."**_ I replied as I readied myself.

"Ok than. Don't forget that you have to finish in _**FIVE MINUTES**_**!"**

"I'll finish it in three. Start the clock!" I commanded.

"**GO!"** Phil shouted as he started his clock and I took off. I made quick work of the crates on the floor before I jumped into the air and onto the platforms that held the other crates. I stumbled a few times, but quickly regained my footing and smashed the obstacles in my way. I loved the rush I felt as I flew from one crate to the other and also from the cheering the guys were giving me.

By time I finished it was just under the wire. That was to be expected since I milked it a few times. "Nice job Ke'Ania!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy cheered as they ran over to me.

"Thanks guys! And thank you too Phil. I really enjoyed myself." I smiled as he blushed. "So, still think I can't handle my own?" I smirked as I put my hands on my hips.

"You can participate, but you have to be careful. Step out if it gets too hard for you, ok?" Phil requested while Sora nodded his head in agreement.

I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "No promises. Ok now I'm starving. We all need to eat and rest up for tomorrow." Everyone agreed as we allowed Phil to lead us to a campsite.

At the campsite there was a fire with a pig roasting over it, a giant, bolder-like head of someone, trees, grass, and a much harder course. "Phil…" I said as I observed what little I could of the course. "Did you design this course?"

"Sure did. Do you like it?" He asked me before I nodded with an excited smile. "Well maybe I'll let you guys run it sometime in the near future." He said as he removed the deceased pig from its cremating fire.

"So who's using it now?" Sora asked as he sat next to me and waited for his plate of pig to be passed to him.

"The greatest hero ever known to man." Was Phil's reply as he bit into the pig's leg.

"And would is that?" Donald asked.

"Yeah Phil, please tell us." Goofy pleaded.

"Hercules. The son of the almighty Zeus himself. He can do it all and has. On top of that he's the kindest and caring person alive." I almost gasped when I heard the hero's name. The Mythological tales that were told about him weren't anything like what Phil just described. Could it have been that history was wrong? Or could it have been that none of it happened yet? A wise man once said that it is better to listen then to speak on a subject foreign to you, so I decided to stay quiet.

"Wow... this Hercules person sounds amazing." Donald said as he finished his plate of pig.

"Will you introduce him to us?" Goofy pleaded again.

"Yeah Phil. Will we ever get the chance to see him?" Sora asked.

"Sure. In fact tomorrow he'll be joining in the games. Maybe you'll even get the chance to face off against each other. But I'll warn you. He won't go easy on yall just because your guys are kids." Phil informed as he put out the fire, leaving only the stars to shine in the darkness.

"Well that's good because I won't hole back either." Sora cheered.

"Sounds like you're ready for tomorrow. Get some rest. You'll need all of your energy for tomorrow." Phil suggested as he rolled over on his side with his back to us. I did the same as each one of us said our goodnights. Right before I started to go to sleep, that Hercules character popped into my head.

"_I hope that Phil's judgment was a good one."_

**Sora's P.O.V.**

Today's the big day. The fights are about to begin. The stands are filled with people of various sizes and shapes. There was one other contender who sat next to Donald. When I looked around, Hercules wasn't here yet, but I could care less. I was ready to fight.

Everyone was silent as Phil made his way to the center of the platform and gave the rules. Once he finished announcing the rules and regulations, everyone cheered as Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy, and I stepped onto that same center platform. As the crowd cheered, I leaned over and whispered in Ke'Ania's ear. "You remember our deal right?"

"Of course. You remember my answer?" She smirked back as I sighed.

" 'No promises.' I remember."

"**OK EVERYONE! LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"** Phil yelled. We turned our attention behind us to see all the random Heartless that appeared. We all took up our fighting stances before the horn sounded for us to start. We made quick work of all the various Heartless. On at a time, they all fell before us. We were having fun moving from one win to another, but when Phil ran out of Heartless… Ke'Ania and I had to face off against each other.

"Phil you can't be serious!" I yelled at Phil.

"I'm sorry, but both of your names appeared in the draw and what's final is final. I'm sorry Sora." Phil apologized.

"Oh Sora stop your sighing." Ke'Ania teased me as she put her hand on my shoulder. "It's been a while since we fought against each other. I'll be fun."

"Alright." I sighed in defeat.

The roaring crowd was numbed in my ears. The only thing I could think about was trying not to hurt Ke'Ania. We both took our stances before Ke'Ania yelled out, "Don't go easy on me or you'll lose!"

"_If only it were that easy."_ The horn sounded and we began. The battle was kind of slow in the beginning but Ke'Ania's temper kicked it into overdrive.

"**COME ON SORA! I KNOW YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THIS! SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT!"** She encouraged. No matter how much I didn't want to, her voice and words were controlling my body. The sound of our Keyblades clashing brought me out of my thoughts. "That's it! Now you're really fighting back!" Ke'Ania cheered as she kicked me back. I used my left hand to do a back flip before facing Ke'Ania's smiling face and yellow eyes.

"WHY ARE YOU SO EXCITED ABOUT ME GETTING PUMPED UP?" I asked/yelled at Ke'Ania.

"Because it wouldn't be as much fun if you weren't responding in the correct way, no?" She answered before putting her hands over her mouth and breathing out ice to latch onto my shoes.

"**HEY! NO FAIR! YOU CAN USE ICE MAGIC LIKE A PRO! I ONLY JUST LEARNED IT!"**

"Well that's how you have to learn! You gain experience through battling. Think of this as your first lesson in learning to control your ice magic." She lectured as she came at me again, using her ice power to freeze me. "Come on Sora use your ice magic and see if you can hit me!" I tried to time it right. I knew that in a real battle you can't just stand there and pretend to visualize your enemy on ice, so I had to think on my toes.

I rolled out of the way, trying to dodge a giant ice ball that Ke'Ania tried to throw at me. I had to focus. _"There! A blind spot!"_ I took that opportunity to cast my ice spell and shot a block of ice at Ke'Ania. Right before it hit, she spun both Keyblades and easily deflected and destroyed the oncoming obstacle.

"Now the battle's getting better! Keep it up Sora!" The battled continued for what seemed like forever but no one was bored. The crowd was on the edge of their seats. Both Ke'Ania and I were enjoying ourselves despite how tired we both were. As we stood, panting, we knew that someone had to end this thing.

"Ke'Ania!" I called from the other side of the platform. "I think it's time for someone to win this!"

"Agreed." She panted before taking up her fighting stance. "I think it's time for you to step down." And with that, Ke'Ania raced towards me. Her Keyblades were flowing behind her, just like her long sandy brown hair. I decided to meet her half way, so I ran.

There we were. Both exhausted. Both ready to stop. Both yelling. This last strike shall determine the winner. Everything happened so fast. One minute we were charging at each other and now we had our backs facing each other. The crowd gasped as neither one of us moved until sudden gushes of blood spread out of both our bodies. She got me on my shoulder. _"I wonder where I got her?"_ When I heard blood gush from her body, I turned around and watched as she fell on her knees before I caught her. She was hunched over on both my arms. Even though I couldn't see it, I could tell that there was a smirk on her face as she congratulated me. I felt her go limp in my arms. I bent her backwards and used my other arm to hook under her knees as I walked back to the stances.

"**OK EVERYONE! WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A NICE BREAK BEFORE WRAPPING UP THESE GAMES!" **Phil shouted as everyone started to clear the stances. I sat next to an unconscious Ke'Ania in the stances and watched as Donald healed all of Ke'Ania's wounds before working on mine.

"Gee Sora. That was a pretty good battle. Did you have fun?" Goofy asked me.

"Yeah, but I think I over did it." I nervously laughed as I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head.

"Don't worry yourself Sora. She's fine and so are you. She's just a little tired. Give her a few minutes and I'm sure that she'll wake up in time to cheer you on to victory like the rest of us." Donald said as he tried to comfort me and pat me on my shoulder. Right before I was about give him my thanks, Phil through water on me. I was about to turn and yell at him but reconsidered when I saw how red his face was.

"**WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? IT'S BAD ENOUGH I HAD TO LISTEN TO YOU AND ALLOW SWEET LITTLE KE'ANIA TO TAKE PART IN THESE GAMES, BUT NOW LOOK AT HER! SHE'S INJURED AND OUT COLD!"** Phil yelled as he flung his arms around in the air.

"Sorry Coach, but she didn't want me to hold back. In fact, I think she had just as much fun as I did… and isn't that all that really matters…?" I nervously asked.

"_**He's right you know Phil."**_ A tall red haired man said as he walked behind Phil and picked him up before my Coach had a chance to try and strangle me. "You have to let it go." The man said to Phil before turning towards Donald, Goofy, and I with a shit eating grin. "I'm sorry. This is how he gets when he's worried. He does this to me all the time."

"Who are you?" Donald asked in amazement.

"I'm Hercules. Phil's first successful student. Who are you guys?"

"I'm Sora. This is Donald Duck; and this here's Goofy. We're all Phil's new successful students." I greeted as I shook his strong hand. Hercules was nothing short from how Phil made him sound. Hercules stood taller and prouder than any man I ever saw, including Riku. Although I wondered if he ever thought that his armored skirt was two sizes too short?

"Well it's nice to see that I'm not the only one who's brave enough to challenge Phil and his training techniques." Hercules laughed as he sat Phil down.

"You make it sound like I want to kill all of my students Herc." Phil replied as he crossed his arms over his bare and hairy chest.

"Oh by the way, Sora was it? I saw your match just now. You and that girl over there are pretty tough. What's her name by the way?" Hercules asked. I was just about to answer when Phil jumped in front of ma and stated talking.

"Her name's Ke'Ania Herc. I told you about her." Was Phil's response. He pushed passed Phil to get a better look at Ke'Ania's lacked face before he smiled. Even though I knew it was completely innocent, a sense of jealousy started to fill my head.

"Well you're right Phil… she is pretty cute and tough to boot. She'll make a fine warrior in the fight against the Heartless. I would have loved to face off against her, but I think that I'm more excited about fighting you Sora." Herc confessed.

"Thanks Herc."

"_**Ah, so you're the mighty Hercules and Sora I've been looking for."**_ Said a darkened voice. All five of us turned to see a tall blond man leaning against one of the coliseum's column.

"Who are you?" I asked as I stood up.

"The name's Cloud. I've been searching for a good fight. When I asked around they referred me to you guys. Once I heard about these games I figured out that this was a perfect opportunity to challenge Hercules…" He stated before he moved of the column and walked over to us. "But never did I dream that I would also find the Keyblade Master, Sora, here as well. Today must be my lucky day." Cloud said as his eyes moved from Hercules to me simultaneously.

"Well let's hope that that we won't disappoint you." Hercules said as we watched Cloud nod before turning and leaving. "See you on the platform!" Herc called to the retreating figure that only just waved.

"Whoa, that guy gave me the willies." Phil confessed as his whole body just shook.

"Us too." Goofy and Donald also confessed while following Phil's actions.

"Uh, Phil? Isn't it time for you to resume the tournament?" Hercules grinned as he turned to our coach.

"Oh yeah…" Phil said before he raced toward the center of the platform again. **"OK EVERYONE! IT'S TIME TO RESUME THE TOURNAMENT! OUR FIRST FIGHTER IS A NEW COMER BY THE NAME OF CLOUD!"** Phil shouted as Cloud, casually, made his way over to the platform. **"HE WILL BE FACING THE ONE AND ONLY CHAMPION AROUND HERE…! HERCULES!"** Phil and the crowd cheered as they waited for Herc to take his position.

"Well that's my cue." Hercules said as he stood up.

"Good luck out there." I encouraged before he gave me a thumbs up with a smile. We watched as the hero made his way over to the fighting area and watched as both competitors took up their fighting positions.

"**BEGIN!" **Was all we heard before the battle between the two opponents began. Both Herc and Cloud ran toward each other. Cloud gripped his sword in his hands as he swung it, only to have Hercules dodge it and punch Cloud in the face. Cloud's body flew backwards but quickly regained its composer, did a back flip and land on his feet. Minute after minute each came at the other with all of their strength. Each simultaneously landing blow after blow on their opponent's body. About half an hour into the battle, the ground started to shake.

"**SORA! WHAT'S GOING ON?"**

"I don't know Goofy, but whatever it isn't good." I replied as I moved towards Ke'Ania.

"**HERC! WATCH OUT!"** We heard Phil yelled as Hercules pushed Cloud out of the way. When the dust cleared, a _**REALLY**_ big three headed dog. **"EVERYONE RUN!"** Phil yelled as everyone in the coliseum ran toward the entrance in a fit of panic. I held Ke'Ania bridal style as I made my way out of the stances.

Everyone except for Phil, Donald, Goofy, and I already high tailed it out of here but when I looked around I started to wonder…"Where's Hercules and Cloud?" I asked.

"They must still be with that dog." Goofy answered.

"Sora! We have to go back and help him!" Donald yelled before I nodded.

"Phil, watch Ke'Ania. We're going back out there and help out." I told Phil before Donald, Goofy, and I raced back to the stadium.

Once inside, we gasped as a winded Hercules tried to hold off the giant dog. "Hercules!" I yelled as I threw my, suddenly summoned, Keyblade at the dog's face.

"Sora?" Herc asked.

"Where's Cloud?" I asked as I repeated the same movement each time my Keyblade returned to me.

"He's unconscious on the other side of the platform. I've been trying to get to him, but Cerberus won't let me." Herc confessed.

"Cerberus?" Donald asked.

"He's Hades' pet." Hercules almost growled as he held his injured arm.

"Who's Hades?" Goofy asked.

"He's the God of the Underworld. When people die their souls get sent to him to do with as he pleases. He's also one of my Father's brothers… and my uncle." Herc answered.

My arm was starting to get tired so I decided that that was enough questions. "Herc, grab Cloud and hide with Phil. We'll take care of this overgrown hair ball." I ordered. Herc nodded before her rushed over to pick up Cloud. When Cerberus tried to attack Hercules, I sent a random fireball at his face. _"Whoa, where did that come from?"_ I shook my head of the thought before I pointed my Keyblade at the mutt's face. **"BAD DOGGIE! IT'S TIME WE PUT YOU DOWN… FOR GOOD!" **I yelled. Herc had Cloud over his shoulder as he ran by us. He yelled a 'thank you' before he disappeared into the hallway behind us. "You guys ready?" I asked Donald and Goofy.

"No…" Both of my partners answered.

"Good now let's go!" I yelled as I charged at the dog. He swung its giant paw at me. I managed to dodge it and climb to the middle head of Cerberus. I grabbed onto its hair as I tried to hang on tight. I somehow managed to make it to the nose and was successfully able to stab the middle head in its eyes before he used his paws to throw me off of him and into the side of the stadium along with Donald and Goofy.

"Sora… are you… ok?" Donald struggled to say.

"Yeah."

"Sora… how are we supposed to beat him?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know Goofy… I just don't know." I replied as I tried to whip the blood out of my burning eye.

"**SORA! LOOK!" **Donald shouted as he pointed to the dog. I was shocked when I saw that Cerberus' body was starting to freeze. It growled and hissed in pain as its body was completely incased in an icy prison. **"WHAT'S THAT SORA?"** Donald asked as he pointed past the iced dog. High in the air, just floating there was a person. I tried to get a closer look but they were too far away until I saw long hair blow around the almost blurred figure.

"Ke'Ania…?" I whispered. Suddenly the figured speed toward the frozen dog and pieced its chest. Only the sound of cracking and shattering ice was heard before the dog disappeared before our eyes. I turned to see that, in fact, it was Ke'Ania. She held her Keyblades in both her hands with her down and her bangs covering her face and eyes. Right when I was going to say anything she started to talk; venom leaked from her words she said to some besides us.

"_**I see that you're big enough to send your pet after us, but apparently you're not man enough to have that balls to face me… am I right…"**_ Ke'Ania growled before she pointed her Lovely Keyblade at an emptied space on the platform. I gasped when I noticed that there was a glared placed on her perfect face to compliment her blood red angry eyes. _**"Lord Hades…?"**_ Right when I was about to ask who she was talking too, someone started to clap.

**CLAP CLAP CLAP**

"Good job Princess Ke'Ania." I turned my head to see that there was a man with fiery blue hair and skin wearing a toga. "You had me worried when you didn't wake for the longest, but now I see that your little nap hasn't affected your fighting and magic abilities. I'm glad. It'll only make things more fun when I take you away from this place so you can fulfill your duties… princess." The man named Hades laughed. I turned my head towards Ke'Ania to see that her body hasn't moved an inch.

"Well I see that you know more about me than I do myself." Ke'Ania replied as she relaxed her right arm from its position of being held out toward the Underworld's God. Upon closer observation, I could see that Ke'Ania's body was still tensed and yet calm at the same time.

"I should say the same about you princess." Hades teased.

"_**HADES! TELL ME WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP CALLING ME PRINCESS? IS IT JUST A PLAYFUL NICKNAME?... OR DOES IT HAVE A DEEPER MEANING TO IT?"**_ Ke'Ania's body tensed more as she yelled at a laughing Hades. _**"ANSWER ME! I KNOW YOU KNOW!"**_ She demanded as she pointed her Yin-Yang Keyblade at him this time.

"Gentle Princess. I will tell you the truth. After all what kind of God would I be if I lied to the last Princess of Heart?" Teased Hades.

"Princess of Heart?" Goofy asked as he tried to stand up.

"What is that?" I asked as I too tried to stand up.

"I think I remember the King mentioning something about the subject before." Donald confessed as he stood up. "If memory serves me correctly, the King said that there are about sixteen princesses with true and pure hearts, but two are unreachable so there are technically fourteen."

"Correctomoonedo ducky-boy. And if you're smart, sweet princess, than you know exactly who it is I came here to collect." Hades said as he started to walk towards and unflinching Ke'Ania.

"Just answer a few questions for me Hades. Does whoever you're working for have Jane and Alice? How many people are left in your organization of villains? Do you have Kairi? And finally… What do you want with all of us?" Ke'Ania asked.

"You pry too much, but none the less I would sleep better at night if I have a better understanding of what you and that boy are up against. So to answer your questions in order… Yes. Including me, technically thirteen, but because of circumstances far too bothersome to go through we actually have twelve villains. I won't tell you. And for your final answer… we need your hearts. If we have all of them than we will be able to unlock the Door To Darkness. With that unlocked, we will be able to release all of the Darkness into all the untouched worlds and rule this miserable universe. Anymore questions?" Hades asked as he put his hand on his forehead.

"Yes… Why didn't you answer the one about Kairi?" Ke'Ania asked with red and brown eyes. The brown stood for confusion, but she was not alone in that matter.

"I feel like I don't have too. I mean it's pretty obvious that we do just by me not answering that question. Besides she's in good hands. Now… why don't you to come along with me. After all you are the most important princess out of them all." Hades said as he put his hand on Ke'Ania's shoulder. By now Ke'Ania's arm lowered back to her sides, her Keyblades long dismissed, and her bangs covered her eyes. I gritted my teeth as I held my injured shoulder. Blood stained my face and my clothes were dirty but I didn't care. I gritted my teeth as Ke'Ania just stood there while Hades let his hand leave light butterfly touches on her skin. I don't know what made me angrier, but I think his smug smirk up it right in the top two. "You know Ke'Ania… how's about you and me have a little _**fun**_ before I bring you to my Leader." Hades suggested as his smirk grew wider.

"_**OK! THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PIECE OF SHIT! GOD OR NO GOD HE'S GOING DOWN!"**_ I thought as I tried to make my way over to the two of them, but stopped when I heard Ke'Ania chuckling… menacingly.

"_**You know, Hades… I would love to go and have some fun with you…"**_ Ke'Ania smirked as she touched Hades' wrist, wrenched it off of her, and punched him hard in the gut. Donald, Goofy, and I watched in amazement as Ke'Ania sent him flying all the way to the other side of the stadium and into a wall. _**"But I don't think that your wife, **__**Persephone, would appreciate it very much… now would she you pervert."**_ Ke'Ania sneered as she stepped toward the middle of the platform.

"_**You brat."**_ Hades snapped as he removed himself from the stone wall and grabbed his stomach. _**"You'll pay for that."**_ Was all Hades said before both of them disappeared. I didn't know what was going on. One minute they were standing far apart from each other and the next they disappeared into thin air.

"_What the hell is going on?"_ I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the sound of metal against metal. When I looked north of me, Ke'Ania's back was almost directly on my front, her blades were crossed and Hades was towering over the both of us. "Ke'Ania…?" I started to ask, but decided to stop myself.

"_**What's the matter? Did I strike a nerve?" **_Ke'Ania teased as she cut off Hades' hand that was outstretched and kicked him away from her. He doubled back while holding what's left of his wrist.

"I see that the reports I've read were outdated. You're clearly tougher and more skillful than I anticipated." Hades grunted as he forced his hand to grow back.

"_**I thought you couldn't get any lower. Attacking my friends while they're down? You sicken me. It's me who you want no? Then be a man and come get me. I'll take you on one on one."**_ Ke'Ania said as she got into her fighting position. "But I must warn you… I _**will not **_go down without a fight."

"Ke'Ania you can't." I said as I turned her towards me. Both my hands were on her shoulders as my ocean blue eyes bored into her red and purple ones. "You can't fight him alone. I'll help you." I offered, but she just shook her head and removed my hands from her shoulders.

"You're injured and I don't want you getting hurt out there. Trust me when I say that everything will be ok. You stay here and guard Donald and Goofy. I'll make this guy what he truly is… history." She grinned before she turned her back from me. "Don't worry Sora; I'm not going to die here. There are too many things I have to do… including protecting you…" She made the last part faint, but I still heard it. It made my heart beat out of my chest as I watched her run toward the God. She jumped up and tried to hit Hades in his stomach again, but he just sent a fireball her way. She barely missed it, but not once did she make any discomforting noise.

"_Did she even feel it?"_ Her movements never faltered as both of them attacked simultaneously. I tried to hold back every movement my body yearned for. It's not an easy task. Every time she gets knocked down I wanna jump in and help, but I know that she would hate me for it. She was already upset from me almost not letting her join in the tournament earlier.

I could tell that Ke'Ania was getting wary, but she did do a good job of hiding it. Something deep within me told me that her body was ready to give, but her willpower with fight it. _"She's fight two battles. One internally and one externally."_ When I looked up Ke'Ania was standing on top of one of the columns that were placed one each corner of the platform. Her breathing was labored and her pants were longer. Her tongue hung out of her mouth; her eye lids were half-lid; and finally, her once red, brown, and purple eyes were completely orange. _"She just might give out."_

"Awe. What's the matter princess? Feeling tired? How's about you just fall into my arms? I'll take _**really**_ good care of you." Hades cooed as he stepped closer to the column that Ke'Ania was perched on with his arms out stretched and grinning wildly.

Despite how tired Ke'Ania's body was, she still managed to form a smirk on her pink lips."Tired? _**"I'M JUST GETTING WARM UP!"**_ She laughed as she dismissed her Keyblades. She raised two fingers to her lips before she pointed them toward Hades' feet. A sudden ring of ice appeared around his feet and froze them. _**"Why don't you sit tight for a little bit."**_ She purred before she turned to Donald, Goofy, and I. "Donald, Goofy, get behind Sora, now!" She commanded before they followed without a question. Ke'Ania waited for them to move before she moved her fingers, made the letter 'F', and made another ring around us except this time it was a ring of fire. Next, she moved here fingers to make the letter 'I' before she made the letters 'W' and 'L'. All three of us were surrounded by four elements.

"Ke'Ania, what are you doing?" I asked.

"This element barrier will keep you guys safe from my next attack. _**Don't worry this won't take long**_." She assured me before she turned her attention back to Hades, who just broke free from his icy hold. _**"Ah, I see the mouse broke from his trap."**_ She teased with the same smirk on her face.

"_**Bitch! I've had it up to here with you. PRINCESS OR NOT… I WILL DESTORY YOU!"**_ Hades yelled as he sped closer to Ke'Ania's column before Ke'Ania shot a small fireball in his face. **"ARE YOU STUPID? I CONTROL FIRE! THAT MEANS I'M IMMUNE TO IT!"**

"_**Don't you think I know that? That was just a distraction for this part of my attack."**_ Ke'Ania said as she pointed her two fingers, on her right hand, toward the sky. The clouds grew darker, red and purple lighting started to form in the sky above our heads. A fierce wind blew, causing our hair to whip fiercely in our faces. Ke'Ania twirled her fingers around in a circle, causing a tornado with all four of the same elements to dance on top of them. Before she unleashed the tornado, Ke'Ania pointed two of her fingers, on her left hand, at Hades and unleashed water, wind, and ice on the god. Thinking quickly, Hades used his fire powers to undo her damage.

"**YOU FULL! DON'T YOU KNOW THAT LIGHTNING AND FIRE MIX HORRIBLY TOGETHER?"** The pissed off Hades yelled.

"_**Of course I know, that's why I'm using it… There will be no good ending for you HADES! NOW GO BACK TO THE UNDERWORLD YOU RULE!"**_ Ke'Ania yelled as she unleashed the element tornado attack upon her opponent. The attack was incredible. It was unlike anything we've ever seen before.

After a few minutes, the sky turned back into its light blue hue with normal white clouds. The stadium was almost completely destroyed, but in the mess stood Ke'Ania. Standing tall and brave on the same column she remained unmoved from. Sure she had a few scratches and blood leaked from her wounds every now and again, but she remained unfazed. "Ke'Ania… I called as her element barrier disappeared. I smiled as she turned her head towards me. She had a small smile on her lips. Her eyes were tired and orange. Both of us were relieved that she had come out the victor. I started to make my way over to her column. I think she was waiting for me. _"I wonder if she can imagine herself falling into my arms at this very moment?"_

"_**Did you really think that you could get rid of me that easily little girl?"**_ Both Ke'Ania and I turned our heads with wide eyes to see that Hades was still standing. He was pretty banged up, but still standing.

"But I thought I killed you…" Ke'Ania almost whispered.

"Didn't I tell you before… _**YOU CAN'T KILL A GOD!**_" Hades hissed as he relit his head with his blue flamed hair. "Well it looks like you don't have an ounce of strength left in you… and sadly neither do I… so as of this moment you are the victor here. But do not relish in this moment of victory for too long. There are villains in every world you visit… and we _**will**_ get you. _**Make no mistake about that.**_ Ta-Ta." Hades said as he disappeared into a dark hole in the ground. I had to tear my eyes away from the spot Hades once stood so that I could see that both of Ke'Ania's eyes have turned into a brownish orange color. The confusion in her eyes was no different than my own.

"**HADES, YOU COWARD! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME RIGHT NOW! GOD OR NO GOD… I WILL KILL YOU AND FINISH THIS FIGHT! HADES! GET~"** Ke'Ania tried to finish saying before her whole body stopped in its tracks. Her eyes went wide as they reverted back to their orange color before she fell from the column. I rushed to her side and caught her before she could land on the unforgiving ground. I caressed her limp body and sighed.

"_She looks so drained."_

"Sora!" I turned to see Donald and Goofy running towards me. "Sora, is she ok?" Donald asked me.

"Yeah. She's just exhausted." I explained.

"I would be too. I mean look at what her massive and powerful attacks caused. Did you know she was able to do this?" Donald asked.

"No. In fact, when Ke'Ania first came to my island she was so timid and fragile. It wasn't until she joined us at the island for the first time that I found out that she was a good fighter." I confessed. _"Is she hiding this stuff on purpose? Or is she remembering this stuff as we go along?"_ I wondered as I looked at her gentle face.

"Sora look. It's the keyhole." Goofy pointed into the sky. I summoned my Keyblade and used it to seal the keyhole before I took her into the safe room with Phil, Hercules, and Cloud.

After much yelling and talking we were able to wash our clothes, bathe, and eat before settling down in front of a flowing river and under the moon and stared filled night in nothing but a white toga.

"Hey… Sora."

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

My eyes fluttered open. The only thing I could see was a candle lit room and Phil's face. "Oh Ke'Ania, I was so worried about you. How you feeling kid?" He asked me.

"I'm fine. Where are the guys?" I asked as I looked around.

"They're outside. He's a toga for you to change into until your clothes get clean." Phil said as I nodded and took the cloth. I stripped and slowly stepped into the cool water. I shivered when I first stepped in. It took me a minute before my body temperature to get used it before I began washing myself. I stepped out and dried myself before stepping into my toga and making my way to the fire where Donald, Goofy, Cloud, and Hercules sat. I eat while they talked and laughed. It was during this time that I found out that Hades hired Cloud to kidnap Sora and I after killing Hercules all in exchange for his freedom.

"_After talking with Cloud, I discovered that he's actually pretty friendly."_

Once I was finished eating I decided to go and sit with Sora. _"I wonder what he's thinking after seeing me fight like that?"_

"Hey… Sora." I said as I walked closer to him and sat done.

"Hey yourself. How do you feel?" He asked me as his blue eyes stared into my green ones.

"Fine. A little sore and tired but fine." I replied as I hugged my knees and watched the water run in one direction. There we sat in complete silence until Sora started to speak.

"Hey Ke'Ania… do you believe anything Hades said back there? Or do you think he was just messing with us?"

"I believe him. Hades maybe a sadist and may love to play with the minds and emotions of his opponents, but he would never be so under handed as to make something like this up." I said; my eyes never moved from the running water.

"So… what do we do?" He asked as he stretched his arms into the air.

"We have to stay on our toes. Who knows what kind of tricks these villains may pull just to get what they want." I answered.

"Easier said than done Ke'Ania." Sora smirked.

"What do you mean?"

"You act more reckless than me. Every now and again I would be called an idiot but you have to be an even bigger idiot. Doing things on your own like that and making me almost have a heart attack was so inconsiderate of you." He said as he subconsciously moves closer to me.

"Oh I'm an idiot? Why I ought to~" I was about to finish before he interpreted me.

"But it's normal to be concerned, especially when your partner and you are in the heat of battle. But… it's not normal to almost have a heart attack when your partner is facing a powerful opponent alone." I could feel heat rise in my cheeks as my irises turned pink when Sora inched too close to me. I could practically feel his body heat on my back and his breath on my neck. "Promise me that you'll never go into battle alone because… Believe it or not, there are people who want to protect you… like me…" He practically whispered. I was stunned a little but agreed to him as I gently leaned into his chest and listened to his beating heart with my greenish pinkish, almost grey, eyes.

"I promise." I whispered as I closed my eyes. I felt him shift his body weight so that he was also leaning onto me. We sat there for what seemed like forever before I started to feel Sora's arm go up and almost curve around me before we heard the annoying squawking of our duck friend.

"**KE'ANIA! SORA! OUR CLOTHES ARE DONE! WE CAN LEAVE NOW!"**

"_I wonder if it'll be called cannibalism if we eat a __**talking**__ animal?"_ I groaned as both Sora and I got up and headed toward the camp.

"One day I'm going to get a muzzle for that duck." Sora joked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Why did we stay here and waist time by washing our clothes when we were just going to do it in the ship?" I asked as I stopped and looked at him.

"Well we couldn't leave without making sure you were going to wake." He confessed as he looked at me.

"We did it when we were in Wonderland." I smirked.

"Hey I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Those riddles broke my brain." We laughed as we made our way back to the camp to gather our clothes, say goodbye, board the Gummi Ship, sleep, and prepare for what the next world held for us.


	10. Bizarre Events in the Heat and Sand

**Chapter 9: Bizarre Events in the Heat and Sand**

**Normal P.O.V.**

Deep within the confines of the villains' hideout, the recently defeated Hades staggered in and ignored the giggles coming from his fellow villains. _**"WHAT THE HELL IS SO GOD DAMN FUNNY YOU BASTARD?"**_ Yelled a pissed of Hades.

"You are oh "Mighty God of the Underworld" A tan man with a wicked black mini beard appeared from the shadows.

"_**Oh shut it Jafar! You wouldn't have done any better than me. And you didn't even capture Ke'Ania. So why are you laughing Queenie?"**_ Hades hissed as he took his seat at the stone table.

"That maybe true but at least I brought back a princess Hot Head." The Queen argued as she pointed her heart shaped staff at Hades.

"That's not fair. I didn't even have any other princess in my sector and besides, I watched as you ran away before the battle even started. Makes me wonder… what are you even here for?" Hades laughed.

"**ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLISH FIGHTING!"** Maleficent bellowed as she slammed t he butt of her staff on the floor and let a dark, intimidating, and familiar aura. "That's better. Now my villains… it does not matter who captures Ke'Ania… All that matters is that we have her in our possession. Is that understood?" She cooed as she looked around the room.

"Yes Maleficent." All the villains said in unison.

"Good now…" Maleficent started as she pulled up a screen that showed our hero's ship. "According to this tracking screen they're heading to Agrabah. That's your sector Jafar." She announced as she turned to Clayton's old seat and sighed before resting her head on her laxed hand. "Do try to not end up like our dear friend Clayton, please."

"You have my word your Evilness." Jafar said as he bowed before turning to Hades. "Unlike some of us… I won't underestimate my opponents." He laughed as he exited through a dark hole. Angered by this Hades balled his hands into little fists and slammed them onto the stone table.

"**I HATE THAT SMUG BASTARD! I'M ACTUALLY HOPING THOSE BRATS AND THEIR ANIMALS KICK HIS ASS!"** Hades screamed from his chair.

**Sora's P.O.V**

It took us a while but we finally landed in a new world called Agrabah. "It's hot." I whined as I stepped onto the flesh burning red sand.

"I can fix that." Donald announced as he pulled out his magic staff and casted blizzard on us. I had to admit that I was scared that he was going to put in ice cubes, but once he casted the spell a whirlwind of cold air surround each of us for a minute. I was shocked when it disappeared because, even though the whirlwind was gone, we remained cool.

"Whoa… what did you do Donald?" I asked.

"It's a cooling technique right?" Ke'Ania asked through her smile and green eyes.

"That's right. By adding just a little bit of blizzard magic to our bodies and making it stick, I was able to keep our bodies cool and semi-hydrated throughout our visit." Donald explained as he crossed his hands over his chest.

"That's very clever of you Donald. I hope that I can learn a lot of useful techniques like that from you someday. Would you please teach me?" Ke'Ania asked; her face never changing.

"No problem. Just ask. Now come on. The faster we find the princess and keyhole the quicker we can move onto the next world." Donald said as we started walking into a small but bustling town.

"Wait."

"What is it Goofy?" I asked him.

"We can't go into town dressed like this. They might not take too kindly to outsiders like us. I think it's best if we go in disguise." Goofy suggested.

"Goofy right. Great job Goofy. Hey Donald. Can you do a costume changing spell?" Ke'Ania asked as she looked at him.

"Sure." Donald said as he waved his wand again and purple dust sprinkle all over our clothes before making the common attire appear over our clothes. "How's this?"

"Perfect." Ke'Ania cheered.

"Why do we get the common ware?" I whined as I tugged on cloth.

"I'll be a lot easier to blend in. I mean, if we randomly showed up in fancy clothes from this world then we would get bombarded by all types of questions alike." Ke'Ania chimed in before she resumed walking into the town with Goofy.

"Yeah Sora." Donald said as he pushed me down into the sand. "Get with the program."

I had spit all of the sand from my mouth before I stood up and dusted myself off. "Tonight's dinner… _**roasted duck**_." I growled as I followed after my friends.

…

…

…

The moment we stepped into this desert town I got a bad feeling coming from the pit of my stomach.

"**HEY STREET RAT! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"** A random civilian yelled as a tan man and a monkey ran past us and out of the town.

"Let's follow him." Ke'Ania smirked as she started to follow him.

"What? Why?" Donald asked.

"Because, Donald… _**he**_ might lead us to the princess and the Keyhole." I smirked as I pushed him down. "Get with the program."

"Ohhhh, come here and say that to my face you pint sized brat!" Donald yelled as he ran towards me.

"Pint sized! I'm taller then you! What are you… three feet?" I laughed at him.

"You won't think that that's funny when I literally put you on ice." Donald threatened.

"Hey Donald! Ever wonder what you smell like when being fried?" I threatened.

"No!" He responded.

I summoned my Keyblade and pointed at him. _**"Wanna find out?"**_

"**BOYS!"** Ke'Ania yelled as she summoned a lightning bolt and shocked us. It wasn't lethal, but painful enough to get us to stop. "That's better. Now, I don't wanna hear another word until we get there. Got it?" She glared with red eyes. Donald and I only nodded slowly before her eyes turned green again and she smiled.

"Hey Ke'Ania? Where is there?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know. We'll just have to wait for him to stop. I hope it's soon though." She mumbled as we continued our journey to, God knows where.

…

…

…

It felt like forever but we finally stopped in front of a cave with a jaguar's head as its cover. When we got there, the dude and the monkey started to walk towards the entrance. "What's with the monkey?" I asked no one in particular.

"Judging from the way it's following the guy, I'm guessing… it's his pet?" Ke'Ania answered before we started walking toward the entrance too.

"Hey guys look!" Goofy shouted as he pointed to the man and the monkey. With closer observation…

"He's being attacked by Heartless!" Donald declared.

"We have to help him!" Ke'Ania and I shouted as we summoned our Keyblades and ran to assist the man. The guy found a long sword and started fending himself off until we jumped in and helped.

"Where did you guys come from?" The guy asked as he swung his sword and killed three Heartlesses.

"We were just in the desert and seeing that you were in trouble… we decided to help." I said as I kicked two Heartlesses back before killing about ten.

"Well, what are your names?" The guy said as he stabbed one.

Ke'Ania grunted as she pushed three off of her before she threw both of her Keyblades, killing the remaining Heartless. "I'm Ke'Ania. Nice to meet you." She smiled as she dismissed her Keyblades and putting her hands behind her back.

"I'm Donald."

"Name's Goofy."

"And I'm Sora. Who are you two?" I said as I pointed to both the man and the monkey.

"My name's Aladdin and this is my faithful monkey, Abu." The man tried to grin as his body shook.

"What's wrong?" Goofy asked.

"I-I-I-I'm c-c-c-cold." He shivered.

"Hold on." Ke'Ania said as she placed her hands on the sand below us. They stared to glow red and blue as six little fire and water balls popped out of the ground and surrounded each of us. I could feel warmth fill my entire being as the long held thrust suddenly disappeared.

"I never felt so rejuvenated before. What did you do?" Aladdin asked.

"I copied Donald's technique and applied my water and fire powers to our bodies, only except I did some adjusting." Ke'Ania smiled.

"What did you do?" Donald asked her.

"Well instead of making it stick to where we'll have constant body temperature throughout the day, I changed it so that, depending on the temperature and weather, our bodies will change too so that we are always comfortable. The only thing constant is our non-thirst. I made it so that we would never be thirsty, but we won't be over watered." Ke'Ania explained.

"Nice job Ke'Ania." Donald said.

"Yeah. Your spell is way better than Donald's" I snickered as the riled up duck jumped up and down. "So Aladdin… what are you doing at a creepy cave like this anyway?"

"This is called the Cave of Wonders and I'm here for the genie's lamp. Rumors say that 'Whoever possesses the lamp can control the genie's power and have up to three wishes granted'. I came here for that exact reason." Aladdin said as he led us into the cave.

"Sounds fictional to me." I said as I stopped; waved my hand in front of my face, put my hand on my hip, slowly shook my head, and sighed.

"You doing too much Sora." Ke'Ania said as she copied me. "So Aladdin… what do you wanna wish for?" She said as she turned to look at him.

"I only just want one wish. I could care less about the last two." He replied.

"Well… what do you want?" Donald said.

"I wanna become a rich and powerful prince so that I can finally have enough credit to at least attempt to ask for Princess Jasmine's hand in marriage." He said in a dreamy like voice.

"That's so romantic." Goofy cooed.

"Yeah, but dumb." Ke'Ania commented with her arms crossed and eyes closed.

"How could you say something like that?" Aladdin asked her as he stepped closer.

"Let me ask you something. Do you know anything about her?" She asked in a serious tone.

"Of course I do!" Aladdin shouted but Ke'Ania never faltered.

"Do you?" She asked again with a raised eyebrow.

"No, not really. But I think she would prefer to marry someone much more than your average 'Street Rat' orphan… like me." He confessed as he looked at his bare feet.

Ke'Ania just sighed as she shook her head before she walked closer to him and cupped his chin, forcing him to look into her purple eyes. I couldn't help it, but the way they were positioned… made me jealous. I realized that I liked Ke'Ania a long time ago, but… this jealousy was son a higher level.

"Aladdin. I don't know this girl, but I can tell you right now that true love comes from the heart not your name or your riches. Sure she could be dazzled by what you can throw around, but when it all boils down to it… there's not double sided love in a relationship like that." Ke'Ania smiled in her sweet words as Aladdin covered her hands with his.

"Thanks Ke'Ania, but…" He put her hand back at her side before turning away from us. "I still got to try." He said as he ran through the Cave of Wonders. Not trying to lose him we all ran after him.

"**FINE! BUT DON'T COME TO ME WHEN EVERYTHING BACK FIRES!"** Ke'Ania shouted as she ran too.

…

…

…

We ran from room to room, jumping, climbing, and fighting the Heartless. _"You know the average cave stuff."_ I was so relieved when Aladdin said we finally reached the main part of the cave.

"This is where we will find the genie's lamp." He said as he stepped through the entrance. Donald and Goofy just finished getting over the large obstacle while I helped Ke'Ania. Once we were on top on the obstacle our hands were still connected but our eyes were looking at all the treasures in the huge room.

"Whoa…" Was all either of us could say before Donald caught our attention.

"Come on guys!" Donald yelled.

"Coming!" Ke'Ania yelled back. Only her left hand remained in my right one. "Come on Sora." She smiled as she raced and jumped off the obstacle. I almost didn't want to let her go. My gloved hands felt cold without hers, but I could never tell her that.

'_What can I say…? I'm a shy guy."_

I jumped down and raced over to meet the rest of the gang, chuckling when Ke'Ania threatened Donald for trying to steal some of the gold. "This, my new friends, is the famous genie's lamp." Aladdin said as he leaned toward the golden lamp.

"Sora! Ke'Ania! Help!" Donald yelled as he started flying on a carpet.

"Donald quite fooling around and get down." I sighed.

"It's not me this time! The carpet started moving on its own!" Donald yelled as the carpet started doing loop-day-loops.

"Wow I guess those rumors are true too.' Aladdin chuckled.

"What's the rumor this time?" Ke'Ania asked as she used aergo to get Donald off and catching him.

"The last person said that when he came here ten years ago, there was a magic carpet there that came with the genie. I didn't believe him. I figured, 'It's bad enough you got me believing in genies, but magic carpets was where I draw the line.' But after seeing it with my own eyes… I guess you really can believe a lot of old peoples' and their fairy tales. The funny thing was, when he came back… he came back empty handed. Another reason why people didn't believe him." Aladdin said as he turned back to the lamp. "Now, I shall remove the lamp and then we can go home." We all watched as Aladdin gently removed the lamp, but the minute he did… the whole cave started to shake.

"I think it's time for us to leave." Ke'Ania said as she called the carpet. We all hopped on and started to fly, but I couldn't help but think we forgot something…

"**WAIT FOR ME!"** Donald yelled as he ran after us.

"**DONALD!"** Ke'Ania yelled as she leaned over and reached for Donald's out stretched hand. I felt my member twitch as her butt gently brushed against it. I had to hold it back.

"_Damn it! I hated hitting puberty."_ I mentally groan as I turned away from Ke'Ania's arousing sight. The worst part was that she didn't even know she was doing it. By time I turned back around, she as almost hanging off the carpet. Putting my perverted thoughts aside, I grabbed her waist and pulled both onto the carpet. I had to sit in an awkward position to hide the slight bulge coming from the lower region of my jumpsuit. _"I know what I might do tonight. I hope not. Damn me for wearing this jumpsuit."_

We quickly flew out of the cave and back toward the town before the carpet set us down on the outskirts of the town. "Thank you." Ke'Ania cooed at the carpet, who wrapped itself around Ke'Ania's slender frame.

"Well come on Aladdin. Summon the genie." I encouraged. He took a deep breath before rubbing the lamp. When Aladdin stopped, blue smoke came out of it and a sudden burst of lights appeared.

"**ITTTTTTTTT'S GENIE TIME!"** A light blue figure yelled as he emerged from the same colored vapors. The figure was really big with a black mini bread, black ponytail on the top of his head and gold bracelets around his wrist. The grin he wore was equally as big.

"Whoa… was all any of us could say as we stared at the giant figure.

"Yes, yes, yes. I am the great and powerful Genie of the Lamp, but you can just call me Genie. Now, will you please do me the honor of giving me the name of my new master?" Genie asked.

"Well actually, Genie… I'm your new master and these are my friends. Abu, Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and~"

"**OH MY GOD! **Is that really you Carpet?" Genie asked as he hugged the magic rug. "Yo, Rugman! Haven't seen you in a few millennia. Give me some tassel. How have you been?" All of us were confused.

"Genie." Ke'Ania said as she moved closer. "Just how old are you?"

"Old enough to know just about everything discovered yet and more." Genie replied with a shit eating grin on his face. "So anyway… let's get this over with. It's really hot out here and I would like to return to my servitude. Nothing else to do these days." Genie sighed as he sat on the sand.

"Wait a minute." I started as I waved my hands in front of my face and walked toward the depressed figure. "Are you trying to say that you're forced to not only live in that lamp, but also live your entire life being someone's magic genie?"

"Bingo kid. It comes with the whole genie job. In fact this is the longest I've ever been out of my lamp so far already." Genie confessed.

"Really? How come?" Donald asked as he sat next to genie.

"Well usually my "masters" already know what they want without even considering the consequences. Once their three wishes are up, I have to be forced back into that tiny lamp and await for some other brave soul to claim and rub the lamp again."

"How often do you get out of this here lamp?" Goofy asked as he played with it.

"Oh I don't know… once every century or so… if I'm lucky." Genie sighed again.

"I don't get it." I said as I crossed my arms over my chest. "If you're this almighty genie… than why aren't you let out more often?"

"Well that all depends on the situation. Most, who find the lamp, either take it away to some foreign country or town, sell it, leaving me where ever. This was the second time I was found in that cave. But, most of the time it depends on if I can be found or not. I actually spent about fifty years buried under sand; and I still would've been there if it wasn't for the sand storm." Genie said as he traced figures into the sand.

"Well, do you at least know about the Heartless and stuff?" Ke'Ania asked.

Genie nodded before he answered. "I may be stuck in this lamp for most of my life, but I'm not oblivious to the outside world."

I turned to look at Aladdin and I could tell he didn't like anything Genie was saying. _"He's not alone either."_ Hearing about someone's punishment for being what they are reminds me for Ke'Ania and this "adventure". Ever since we found out that Ke'Ania was one of the princesses the villains were after, she has been at constant risk. I never doubt that she can take care of herself but still… I don't know what I'd do if I had to be bound forever and forced to live a life of servitude to anyone who finds me, but I digress.

Aladdin was the first one to stand up with his fists clenched. "Genie… I don't like your situation. I can't honestly say that I understand what you're going through, but I can honestly say that it's not fair." His body started to relax as he turned to us with a genuine smile. "So to make it fair for both of us… how's about I use my last wish to set you free? That sound like a plan?"

All of us stared at Aladdin with interest until Genie shot up and started doing back flips in the air. "Really Al? You do mind if I call you Al right?"

"Sure thing Genie. By the end of my wishing you'll be free as a bird." Aladdin cheered.

"Oh happy day. Now since you're giving me my wish, I suggest we start with your wishing. So… what shall it be?" Genie smiled as he pretended to roll up his imaginary sleeves.

"Right. For my first wish… Make me a powerful and rich prince with belly dancers, an elephant, gold, and servants." Aladdin wished.

"Alright. A handsome prince with the works." Genie repeated.

"I'm so happy for you Aladdin." Ke'Ania smiled.

"And what kind of wish would it be if we didn't get the whole gang in on it either." Genie cheered.

"**WHAT?"** We all shouted as some of Genie's magic wrapped around our bodies. By time the magic had dispersed everyone was changed, except Carpet and Abu.

Aladdin was wearing white, rich baggy clothing with a giant puffy turban with a feather and jewel on his head, gold pointed boots that cover his knee, a gold wrap around his waist, and a cape. Genie was dressed like a tailor with everything intact. Donald was a white swan. Goofy is wearing puffy yellow pants and yellow opened sleeveless vest, leaving his chest bare for the world to see, white turban on his head and purple pointed shoes, and one gold bracelet on each wrists. I was no different. My outfit was the same except my pants and vest was red and my shoes were golden. But what drew my attention the most and almost made me drool was Ke'Ania's outfit. She was dressed as a belly dancer. She wore a red crop top with the straps off her shoulders, showing off her caramel and toned stomach and forearms, her pants were red, long, harem pants, showing her v-line, she wore gold slipper like shoes, a gold choker, ten gold bangles on each wrists, a long red transparent scarf hung around her arms, her long sandy brown hair was tied into a high pony tail with a red vile flowing behind her back and stopping at her butt. Her beautiful pink eyes only her all the more desirable in my eyes.

"Oh don't you look so precious? Let's not forget your Finger Cymbals." Genie cheered as he made two gold mini symbols appear on Ke'Ania's fingers. "There. Now you look like the number one belly dancer _**every**_ prince, king, and sultan should have."

"**GENIE! I DID **_**NOT **_**SIGN UP FOR THIS!"** Ke'Ania practically roared with anger.

"Oh come on Ke'Ania… please… Just do it for me… please…?" Aladdin pleaded.

"… … Fine…" Ke'Ania sighed in defeat as she crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "But if you don't get the girl… _**God help me not to kill you in front of the whole town**_." She growled with fiery red eyes.

"Man she's one scary little girl." Genie whispered.

"_**I HEARD THAT!"**_ Ke'Ania growled.

"Ok then… You ready Al~ I mean Prince Ali?" Genie said as he bowed. We wanted him to get used to the treatment so we all bowed as well.

"I guess so. Come on." Aladdin said as he started to walk.

"Oh damn I almost forgot."

"What is it Genie?" Aladdin asked.

"It's not proper for a prince to walk into a town without your escort service." Genie explained as he waved his hand and made a giant elephant, ten belly dancers, ten women and men, holding baskets of rice, and ten more shirtless servants, like Goofy and I; eight were holding baskets of gold coins. "There you go Prince Ali. Everything you need to convince Princess Jasmine and her father, the Sultan, that you're a real prince worthy enough to marry his daughter. Now if you, the monkey, and the swan…"

"**I'M A DUCK YOU IDIOT!"** Donald yelled.

"Well today you're swan. If you three plus Carpet would accompany me to the top of the elephant. Your ride awaits." Genie said as he helped all four of them to the top of the elephant while Ke'Ania, Goofy, and I remained on the floor.

"Hey. What about us?" I asked.

"Oh sorry." Genie apologized as he made a rug, sowed to two parallel long sticks, appear and made Ke'Ania stand on top of it. Then he put the rug on two of the servants', Goofy's, and my shoulders, making our hands automatically grab each end. Goofy and I are in the front with one new servant behind us. "There you go. As the number one belly dancer you must stand on that rug and dance until we reach the palace." Genie ordered to Ke'Ania.

"Why do I have to dance?" Ke'Ania asked.

"If people see Prince Ali's _**top**_ belly dancer dancing as he parades through town, then people will think that he must appreciate the finer things in life and also take good care of his people, which is a really big hit with the town's inhibiters." Genie explained.

"… … Good enough for me. Ok guys. Let's help Prince Ali get the girl. Your guys better not drop me." Ke'Ania smirked.

"Enjoy being a prince, but be warned… every wish has a down side to it. Be careful Al." Genie warned.

"Come on Aladdin. The faster you get the girl, the quicker we can do our job." Ke'Ania said as she started to dance.

"Ok my friends… to the palace we go." Prince Ali ordered as we finally started to move.

…

…

…

As we entered the town, the belly dancers were dancing with grace and beauty, even though Ke'Ania was the only one I was watching. Rice and gold coins were being thrown by the servants and Aladdin. Genie led the whole parade in dancing and singing and being as silly as he could be. _"Hell I would too if I only one shot at it."_ No one could take their eyes of us. I had to admit that even I was having fun. We climbed the stairs to the front entrance and into the Sultan's throne room. Before anyone could blink, Genie disappeared into his lamp while Aladdin hopped on Carpet, scooped up Donald, Abu, and Ke'Ania before stopping before the Sultan and bowing along with the rest of us.

The Sultan cheered, clapped his hands, and fell in a fit of giggles. "Oh bravo Prince~"

"Prince Ali, at your service Sultan." Aladdin said as he hopped down from Carpet. "This is my swan, Donald, my magic carpet, Carpet, my number one belly dancer, Ke'Ania, and these two are my most loyal and best servants, Sora and Goofy. We are honored to be within your presence your highness." The fake prince grinned as we all bowed. The Sultan continued to clapping and laughing. When we stood up my eyes were focused on Ke'Ania's reddish brown eyes. When I followed her gaze my eyes rested on a tall brown skinned man with mini curly bread, a golden serpent staff, and a red parrot on his shoulder. His gaze never met mine. It only bore into Ke'Ania's eyes. I nearly cringed when I saw his lips curve upward into a smirk before the Sultan's voice brought me back to reality.

"Oh my, my, my, you're all are so wonderful. I'm the Sultan of this kingdom and this is my royal adviser, Jafar. You must meet my dear daughter. I'm sure she would love to meet you. Oh Jasmine! Would you please come here?" The Sultan yelled as we waited for the prince to enter.

"You summoned me Father?" A gentle voice cooed. We all turned our heads to see a tall and sandy brown skinned woman standing in the entrance way. Her midnight black hair reached the back of her knees and pulled back into a low ponytail that is tied by aqua ribbons and lined with sapphire, almost concealed behind her hour glass figure. Her outfit was almost like Ke'Ania's except it was colored aqua. Her shoes were gold. Her neck and ears were lined with giant copper earrings and a v-shaped necklace. I have to say that her brown eyes complimented her nicely, but I guess it's my attraction to Ke'Ania that makes me feel indifferent towards the princess.

"Ah, Jasmine, I'm glad you're here. Come and meet Prince Ali." The Sultan said as he led the princess over to Prince Ali. Aladdin gently grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"It is an honor to finally meet you, Princess Jasmine." Aladdin said through a grin.

"Yeah right. You're just another man who wants to become sultan by marring me." Jasmine said as she snatched her hand back and pulled Aladdin's turban over his head before she stomped off toward the entrance and pulled open the curtains. "Now leave. You are no longer welcome in this kingdom. Don't ever return. My answer will not change." And with that she left, making each of us winch at the harshness.

**JASMINE? JASMINE, DARLING COME BACK!"** The worried Sultan called to his frustrated daughter. "I'm sorry. She's been in a sour mood all day. Please Prince Ali, allow me to calm my daughter down and let's try again tomorrow, ok?" The Sultan pleaded as Aladdin nodded. Once Aladdin had agreed, the Sultan raced off after his daughter with Jafar not too far behind.

"I shall go and try to help the Sultan with the princess. Prince Ali, was it? Why don't you have your top belly dancer perform for our palace tonight? I would love to see how great _**Ke'Ania **_really is. The door to the stage is through that way. Show starts around eight o'clock. _**I'll be watching.**_" Jafar grinned as he walked out of the room as well, leaving us alone.

"Well…" Genie started as he came out from his lamp. "That could've gone better."

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

"Well first things first. I have to dance." Ke'Ania replied. "Rather I want to or not. And believe me… I _**don't **_want to. But we can't raise suspicion now. I believe that Jafar maybe the villain of this world. And if he is… we need to stay on guard 24/7." Ke'Ania said as she walked toward the door but then stopped. "Genie. I need two fan veils please."

"Coming right up princess." Genie waved his hand and two rods wrapped in silk appeared in her hands. "Hey Ke'Ania…" Genie started, causing Ke'Ania to turn around and face us. "Are you going to be ok?"

She slowly nodded. "I'll be fine." Suddenly she crossed her arms and her body started to shiver. "That man hits me with an icy power far greater than mine." And with that she disappeared behind the door.

"What did she mean by that?" Donald asked to no one in particular.

"I don't know Donald… but I don't like it." I replied.

…

…

…

**Normal P.O.V.**

It was eight pm and Ke'Ania's show was about to begin. Everyone took their seats and watched. Genie was disguised as an average servant for Prince Ali. Everyone inside the palace was there, even the Sultan convinced Princess Jasmine to come down for the show. There was medium sized stage with two poles. One was toward the front of the stage while the other was toward the curtain where people knew where Ke'Ania was going to be coming out. It was just a matter of time.

The lights dimmed. The only bright lights were the tons of candles that were lit below the stage everyone was really thrilled when music started to play. Suddenly one of Ke'Ania's legs poked out from behind the curtain. She yanked the curtains back and leaned into them with the same two rods in her hands. Her outfit was the same as before except her puffy pants were replaced with a long red silky skirt with a long slit going up the side and stopping at the red sparkling sash that was tied around her waist. She had gold bangles around her bare feet. The gentle light hit her skin and made it glow with an elegance most miss if they're too distracted.

Ke'Ania released the rod in her left hand and reviled a long red fan with a silk like fabric at the end. The fan starts off as red, then turns to orange, and finishes off with orange. She smirked as she kicked her leg up and started to spin around, like a ballerina. When the music stopped, she stopped. She was standing, almost leaning forward. Both her fan were out not. The second fan was the exactly the same as the first one. Her right arm crossed over the top of her chest while her left one was raised high in the air.

When the music started to beat again, she moved her hips along with the same beat. She danced and pranced around the entire stage. Listening to cheers and the whistling of the men in the crowd. She may have been smirking the entire time, her hips may have never stopped moving along to the beat, but her eyes never left the person who always had her attention. Her left green and pinkish eye and her black eye bored into Sora's ocean blue eyes. Neither one cared that there were other people in that room. All they cared about was each other. Sora felt that Ke'Ania was only dancing for him… and in a way she was.

The beat started speeding up and so did Ke'Ania. With her fans in hand, Ke'Ania did a cartwheel off the stage, leaving her fans in her wake. She strutted/shimmied her way toward Jafar. The only time she was forced to take her eyes off of Sora. She needed to focus. She needed to get close enough to get a scent from him to determine if her speculations are correct. Once she reached Jafar she was teasing him. Encircling around him. Slowly sliding her fingers over Jafar's shoulders and around his neck. Ke'Ania removed her scarf from her arms and draped it over his body while she caressed his neck. She leaned in closer with an even wider smirk on her face.

"_**I know your dirty little secret."**_ She whispered in his ear before she skipped toward the back of the stage and grabbed the pole on the back of the stage and started spinning around for jumping to the other pole and eventually coming down when the music died down. Her arms were bent so her hands could grip the pole behind her, her body was arched, her head was cocked to the left, her legs were spread and bent, only her left leg showed through her skirts split, and a few beads of sweat ran from her forehead, to her neck, and down her chest. The crowd roared and cheered as she stood up and took a bow before disappearing behind the curtain once again.

After the performance Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy got together to try and figure out how to get the two love birds together. "Ok guys this is plain and simple. I'll handle the princess while you help Aladdin out. We need them to go on a date so we can check the palace." Ke'Ania said a she leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. By now her pants and shoes were placed back on her body.

"But Ke'Ania, aren't you worried that whoever the bad guy is that he might try something?" Sora asked as he stood in front of Ke'Ania.

"Don't worry. I know exactly who the bad guy is… and as long as I have his scent… _**he's not going anywhere.**_" Ke'Ania smirked as she started moving toward Princess Jasmine's room.

…

…

…

"Princess Jasmine?" Ke'Ania asked as she entered the princess's room.

"Oh, you're that belly dancer from earlier. I really liked your performance." She smiled.

"Really?" Ke'Ania said as her eyes turned pink.

Princess Jasmine nodded before she sat up. "I wish I can belly dance like that. What's it like to be the number one belly dancer? Or even a belly dancer?" She asked as Ke'Ania sat next to her.

"Well to be honest… I'm not really a belly dancer. I was even amazed by my own moves." Ke'Ania confessed as she scratched the back of her head.

"Really…? Then what are you?"

"I'm the same as you. A Pure Heart Princess. My name is Ke'Ania. Nice to meet you Princess Jasmine." Ke'Ania said as she stuck her hand out.

"Oh? So you're just like me and all the rest of the princesses, huh?" Jasmine sadly asked as Ke'Ania nodded. "You do realize we're in terrible danger?"

"Yes, and that's why Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I are here. We're here to protect the princesses from the villains. Don't worry. We'll protect you but you have to make sure to tell any of us if you notice anything strange." Ke'Ania said as Jasmine nodded. "So, who is this cutie?" Ke'Ania asked as she petted and rubbed the tiger's fur.

"That's my loyal and over protective tiger, Rajah. He's been with me since we were both babies." Jasmine said, never moving from the couch.

"That's sweet. I love all type of lines. I wish I could have a cat but I don't have time to take care of one. You know, with saving the world and stuff." Ke'Ania smiled.

Everything was quiet for the longest until Jasmine decided to say something. "How bad is it Ke'Ania?" Jasmine asked in a concerned voice.

"It's bad enough." Ke'Ania said. She looked at the corner of her eyes to see the sad expression on the princess's face. By this time her eyes had turned purple. "But that's for me to worry about, not you."

"You're so brave. Promise me you'll be careful?" Jasmine said as Ke'Ania nodded. "So from your expression earlier, I could tell you didn't come in here to tell me that you were a Pure Heart Princess." Ke'Ania nodded at Jasmine's assumption. "Then why are you really here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about…" Ke'Ania stopped when Jasmine started.

"If you're talking about that Prince Ali, then you can save it." Jasmine practically shouted.

"Listen, I didn't come here to tell you to go out and marry the guy… I just came here to talk." Ke'Ania said. "Do you know who he is?"

"No and I don't care." Jasmine huffed.

"I think you don't care, but I also think that you're curious." Ke'Ania said.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Because…" Ke'Ania rose from her seat. "You can sense that there's something different about this one. There's something that draws you close to him, but you can't quite figure it out." Ke'Ania concluded. Jasmine didn't reply right away. Instead she softened her gaze as she looked at Ke'Ania. "I could tell you if you like."

"Really…? But why would you do that?" Jasmine asked.

"Because 9 times out of 10 he's not going to tell you."

"But why? Why can't he just tell me the truth?" Jasmine asked.

"Because he's a man, and men aren't always that bright. So, to save you the headache…" Ke'Ania said as he got up. "Have you ever met a man in the market with a monkey named Abu and often referred to as 'Street Rat'?" Ke'Ania smirked as Jasmine gasped.

"You mean… that Prince Ali is really that same man?" Ke'Ania nodded. "Ok, so now I know that… please tell me… what is he really? Is he just a 'Street Rat' in disguise or a Prince trying to escape the royal life every now and again?" Jasmine said with a raised eyebrow.

"He's just a love sick teenaged orphan boy who just wanted you to love him like he loves you. His name is Aladdin. He found the genie's lamp and wished to be a rich and powerful prince." Ke'Ania said as she leaned against a little table in the princess's room.

"But why? If he really liked me, he should've just told me." Jasmine said as she leaned against another little table across from Ke'Ania.

"He thought about it, but he knew that even if you returned his love that you two could never be together because of the law. He needed to become a prince to even get his foot in the door. It took me a minute to realize what he was doing because when he first explained, it sounded like he was doing it to impress you. As in he wanted to show you how much gold he possessed to give you what your heart craved. I told him it was stupid because that's not true love. But… being the hardheaded boy he is, Aladdin still went ahead with the wish." Ke'Ania sighed as she turned away from Jasmine. "I'm sorry that things had to come to this, but please don't be angry with him. It's not his fault. He just wanted to find and exploit the loophole in the situation. He's shown me that he really does love you, despite his stupid decision. Get to know him and I can grantee that you'll find him… different than anyone you ever known." Ke'Ania smirked as she headed for Jasmine's room entrance.

"Wait!" Jasmine yelled, causing Ke'Ania to turn and face her. "Please tell me what he's really like."

"I don't really know much, because I just met him." Ke'Ania confessed.

"Oh…" Jasmine sadly said as she looked at the floor.

"But I can say this… he's determined, caring, and brave. He smiles even when there are things wrong. If I wasn't already in love with someone… I'd want him. But since I'm in love with someone… he's all yours Jasmine." Ke'Ania smiled as Jasmine nodded.

"Thank you Ke'Ania… for everything." Jasmine said as she hugged Ke'Ania. To say that Ke'Ania was shocked wasn't too far from the truth, but she quickly recovered and hugged the princess back. They said like that for a brief moment until Ke'Ania nodded.

"Well I have to go. Duty calls. Oh and by the way… you should get to know his genie… he's hilarious." Ke'Ania waved off.

"Be careful." Jasmine called as Ke'Ania just waved her off.

It didn't take long for the prince impersonator arrived at Jasmine's balcony. Ke'Ania hung around the corner and waited for the couple to leave before she met up with her boys.

…

…

…

"Well that went better than expected." Genie said with a smirk.

"Good. Now that they're out of the palace, we can go bad guy hunting. Sora and Donald are together. Goofy and Abu. And finally, Genie you're with me." Ke'Ania commanded as everyone nodded. Ke'Ania and Genie didn't move while everyone separated throughout the palace.

"So chickadee… what exactly are _**we **_looking for?" Genie said as he danced around Ke'Ania.

"Jafar…" Was Ke'Ania's only reply before Genie literally flipped out.

"**WHAT? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS? THAT GUY'S BAD NEWS! **If it's all the same to you…" Genie started before he shrink down and sat on Ke'Ania's shoulder.

"Genie…" Ke'Ania smirked as she held Genie in her hands. "Don't worry. We're just going to keep an eye on him. You don't you want to keep Princess Jasmine safe from him?"

"Yes…" Genie murmured as he grew back to his normal size.

"Then come on." Ke'Ania cheered.

"Alright. Let's go Jafar Hunting." Genie said as he turned into a blue dog. "Which way did he go Ke'Ania? Which way did he go?" Genie comically said in an almost droopy voice. Ke'Ania couldn't help her smirk and rolling green eyes as she followed him with her hands on her hips.

…

…

…

The magical pair wondered around the palace for an hour or so before Ke'Ania got frustrated. "This is ridiculous. Where is that snake? I know he's here, but his scent is too weak for me to pinpoint him right now." Ke'Ania said in a huff.

"Well maybe it is a good thing that we can still sense him. I, personally, think that meeting him would've been suicide." Genie confessed.

Right when Ke'Ania was about to say something, she felt a disturbance. "This is bad…" Ke'Ania whispered.

"What's bad?" Genie asked.

"Genie, shrink down and hide in my hair." Ke'Ania commanded as she started at Genie with a glare and red eyes. Genie was afraid, but didn't fight it. He did as he was told and hid in Ke'Ania's ponytail. "Stay out of sight." Ke'Ania whispered. _**"You had me worry that I wouldn't find you…"**_ Ke'Ania said in her demonic tone and with a smirk as she turned and faced the target of her searching. _**"Jafar…"**_

"Ah, I'm glad you were looking for me Princess Ke'Ania." Jafar said as he smirked at Ke'Ania.

"_**Oh, you were looking for me? I wonder why…?"**_ Ke'Ania teased.

"It's about your little performance earlier. I must say I quite enjoyed your dancing. Who knew you were so skilled? I would very much like it if you would present me with… a more _**private**_ show." Jafar smirk as he leaned in closer to Ke'Ania.

Ke'Ania kept her smirked as she smacked him in the face with her long ponytail. _**"Sorry Jafar, but the only private show anyone will get to see is the one I love. And here's a clue… he's not a nasty pervert like you."**_ Ke'Ania growled. _**"Now if you'll excuse me… I have more pressing matters to attend to."**_

Jafar could only smirk when he thought the Pure Heart Princess was playing hard to get. "Let's see if I can change your mind after we spend some _**alone**_ time together. But even if nothing happens… You can't out run your destiny."

Ke'Ania just ignored Jafar's comment as she returned to the garden, where the rest of the group will be waiting.

When the whole group met up they all shared their findings before they saw that the couple had returned. "Jafar is a snake in the grass and he'll try anything to get what he wants. I'll sleep in Jasmine's room tonight while the rest of you keep a good eye on Aladdin. I have a feeling that Jafar sees Aladdin as an obstacle in his path toward his goal. Be on your guard you guys." Ke'Ania warned as she started to walk away until Sora grabbed her wrist.

"I don't think you should stay by yourselves. What if Jafar attacks her room tonight? You're the only one who can fight." Sora complained as he subconsciously pulled Ke'Ania closer.

"I'll be fine. Carpet will be with me. I'll show Jafar not to mess with this Pure Heart Princess." Ke'Ania cheered as she pulled her wrist free before she hopped on Carpet and flew toward Jasmine's balcony.

…

…

…

It wasn't early, but it wasn't late afternoon. It had to be around noon when Ke'Ania was sitting in Jasmine's room. The two girls were talking and giggling away as Jasmine finished doing Ke'Ania's hair in a beautiful fashion. Two, thin bangs hung on the side of her face. Half was put into an elegant bun and decorated in rubies while the rest was left hanging over her body and also lined and decorated with rubies. "There." Jasmine said as she stepped away and admired her work. "How do you like it?"

"Like it?" Ke'Ania stared at herself in the mirror. "I love it. You've got to show me how to do that. It'll defiantly come in handy later." Ke'Ania smiled as she played with it.

"It's actually very simple. All you have to do is~"

**GROUND SHAKES**

Everything and everyone in the palace shook and fell to the floor as the earth beneath them shook with much power. **"WHAT WAS THAT?"** Jasmine asked as she stood up

"I don't know, but whatever it was we should~ **WHAT ARE YOU DOING JASMINE?"** Ke'Ania yelled as she watched Jasmine run toward the edge of her balcony.

"I have to go see what caused that shake. Come on Rajah." Jasmine called to her faithful tiger. "Carpet!" Jasmine called as both Rajah and her jumped over the balcony's railing. Carpet caught them and flew them out of Ke'Ania's sight.

"This is bad." Ke'Ania groaned as she used her ice powers to create an ice path for her to slide down.

…

…

…

The big shake caused the boys to run in front of the palace to see what was going on, but to their discomfort… it was Jafar and Iago standing with an army of a thousand of Heartless. **"JAFAR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"** Sora shouted as he stared down the villain and his army.

"Ah, young hero. It's nice to finally really meet you." Jafar said as he walked closer.

"**ANSWER ME JAFAR!"** Sora roared.

"Fine. I'm going to get what I want…" Jafar answered with a smirked.

"**WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT JAFAR?" **Aladdin yelled.

"Simple you idiotic Street Rat… Princess Jasmine, Princess Ke'Ania, the Keyhole, and of course…" Jafar started, but stopped when his gaze fell on Iago's fleeting form.

"**HEY! GIVE ME THAT LAMP BACK YOU STUPID BIRD!"** Aladdin shouted.

"Oh no Prince Ali, or should I say…" Jafar moved his staff and casted a spell that turned Aladdin's clothes back into his original ones. "Aladdin, one of Agrabah's street rats."

"_**THAT'S IT JAFAR…!"**_ Sora growled as he summoned his Keyblade. _**"YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"**_ And with that Sora, Donald, Goofy, Abu, and Aladdin charged into battle.

Defeating Heartless left and right. It was surely a sight to see. Aladdin swung his sword left and right, making a path so he could clash weapons with Jafar, but before he could even get there, Jafar powered up his serpent staff and shot out a powerful green light and blew all the guys back into the palace's stairs.

"**ALADDIN!" **Jasmine shouted as Carpet brought them to the guys.

"Jasmine? What are you doing here? Go back into the palace. I don't want you getting hurt." Aladdin ordered.

"I'm not leaving unless you come with me. I don't wanna see you hurt either." Jasmine said as she grabbed Aladdin's arm.

"Ah, Princess Jasmine… How nice of you to join the fight." Jafar cooed toward the princess.

"_**LEAVE HER ALONE JAFAR!"**_ Aladdin yelled as he pulled Jasmine closer.

"But I can't. You see I need her and Ke'Ania so that we can achieve our ultimate goal. **Genie of the Lamp! Come out!**" Jafar called as he rubbed the lamp. Genie emerged with a sad expression on his face.

"**GENIE!" **Aladdin shouted.

"For my first wish… capture the princesses." Jafar commanded before he laughed wickedly.

"**GENIE! NO!"** Aladdin screamed.

"I'm sorry Al but it's out of my hands. Jafar has the lamp. He calls the shots. I don't have a say in the matter." Genie says with tears in his eyes. Genie pointed a finger at Jasmine and let a string of fuchsia wrap around Jasmine's body and pulled her into one of Genie's hands.

"**JASMINE!"** Aladdin yelled as Jafar continued to laugh.

"Now my second wish is… put those brats in a cage like the animals they are." Jafar commanded. Genie glared at Jafar before complying too his wish. Genie opened his free hand and let lightning surround them and form a cage. "Good now why don't you sit tight until~"

"**HEY JAFAR!"** When his name was called, Jafar looked up just in time to dodge a flying Keyblade hurling toward him. When the Keyblade missed it returned to its owner. Ke'Ania came sliding in on her ice made path before jumping off and landing in front of the lightning cage. **"HOW ABOUT I PUT YOU IN YOUR OWN CAGE!" **Ke'Ania barked.

"**KE'ANIA!"** Sora yelled with relief in his voice.

"Sorry I'm late." Ke'Ania said, never turning from Jafar's gaze.

"Ah, I'm glad you could finally join the fight." Jafar smirked.

"_**I've been waiting to cut off that bearded head of yours."**_ Ke'Ania smirked.

"_**Let's see if you can get close enough too."**_ Jafar challenged.

Ke'Ania ran right for Jafar, but before she could get there, she was ambushed by Heartless. It took her a minute, but she was able to break free enough to form and attack. She ran her fingers over both her blades and made lightning light both her blades before she ran at blinding speed through the crowd of Heartless, purposely avoiding Jafar as she moved with swiftness and grace through the battle field. When came to a giant group of Heartless, she jumped in the middle and plunged her Keyblades into the ground, making lightning shot up from the ground and destroy everyone last Heartless.

"Impressive Princess Ke'Ania. It looks like Hades was right. You are a lot stronger than our records have told us." Jafar smirked.

"_**I'm glad that you weren't disappointed. I hope will think the same of me…"**_ Ke'Ania growled as she slowly turned toward the bearded villain. _**"WHEN I KILL YOU!"**_ Ke'Ania gripped the bar part of her Keyblades before she raced toward him. In an attempt to stop her, Jafar fired more of that green power out of his staff. Ke'Ania did back flips and used her Keyblades to reflect some of his strikes. Ke'Ania wasn't having any luck on the ground so she decided to take an aerial approach to this battle. **"Carpet!"** She called to the rug. In the mist of her dodging Jafar's attacks, Carpet managed to pick Ke'Ania up and fly her over Jafar's head. Ke'Ania was more on the defensive side then offensive, but that didn't mean that Jafar wasn't frustrated.

"**WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU USLESS GENIE? COMPLETE MY FIRST WISH AND CAPTURE PRINCESS KE'ANIA!"** Jafar scolded Genie.

Genie sighed as he used the same technique that he used to capture Jasmine. Ke'Ania stirred Carpet out of the way each time Genie's rope like magic tried to snag her. It had to have taken ten minutes before the rope caught Ke'Ania's wrist and pulled her into his other hand. Both girls screamed as they tried to wiggle out of Genie's hold.

"I'm sorry girls." Genie apologized with tears rolling down his face.

"**GENIE! AS AN ADD ON TO MY FIRST WISH, SHUT THEM UP!"** Jafar ordered.

Genie glared but it did him no good. He had to do as his master wished. Genie tightened his hands. The girls screamed even louder as they felt painful pressure being put on them. In Genie's mind... regret was the only thing that filled her mind.

**Sora's P.O.V.**

I couldn't help but grit my teeth as Ke'Ania and Jasmine's screams rang in my ears. I was powerless, stuck in his cage, and frustrated. Finally their screams stopped. Their bodies went limp. The only sound was Jafar's menacing laugh. "That was fun. Now come on Genie. I want to sit on my throne in the Cave of Wonders." Jafar said as he started to walk away with Genie not too far behind.

"**KE'ANIA! KE'ANIA! KE'ANIA!"**

"**JASMINE! JASMINE! JASMINE!"**

Both Aladdin and I cried the girls' name until they were out of sight. Tears spilled from our eyes as we slid to floor. Enraged, I summoned my Keyblade and started swing at the bars, not caring how many times I got shocked or flung back.

"Sora stop! You're going to get hurt." Goofy warned me but it fell on death ears as I continued my attacks.

"**I DON'T CARE! AS LONG AS I CAN SAVE KE'ANIA! I DON'T CARE!" **I argued before I was flung back again.

"Don't move Sora." Donald said as he concentrated and shoot water onto the electrical cage. He kept doing it until the bars gave one final shock and then suddenly disappeared.

"How did you do that?" Goofy asked.

"Simple. By adding more and more water to the electrical bars, I was able to out shock the bars, causing them to disappear." Donald smirked as each of us held a face of confusion. "To put it simple, I short circuited the bars."

"I don't care how you did it. "I said as I got up and called Carpet over to us. "All that matters is that we're free and we have two princesses that need our help." I finished as all six of us **(Donald, Goofy, Rajah, Aladdin, Abu, and I)** hopped on Carpet and sped off to the Cave of Wonders.

**Normal P.O.V.**

The boys snuck into the room, where they found the lamp before. But this time they say a sad looking Genie floating next to Jafar and Iago, who are sitting on a throne and surrounded by gold. Ke'Ania is chained to a wall, behind Jafar, while Jasmine is stuck in a giant hour glass with sand pouring on her head. The outfit she was wearing was the same except it was red and her shoes were gold.

"We need to get their attention." Aladdin whispered as he looked around.

"Donald. Can you light a tiny fire? Just enough so that only they can see it?" Sora asked. Donald nodded and started to snap his fingers together until a small flame floated above his finger. Donald started to wave it back and forth until Genie noticed it.

Once he noticed, he used a little of his magic to get Ke'Ania's attention. Ke'Ania noticed the flame and got Jasmine's attention until she saw it too. When Jasmine looked back at Ke'Ania she read her lips. Ke'Ania mouthed: 'Follow my lead.' Jasmine quickly nodded and watched as Ke'Ania's smirked and her eyes turned black in the candle's light.

"_**Ohhhhh Jafar."**_ Ke'Ania seductively called to the villain. _**"I think I'm ready to accept your offer… I hope it's still on the table."**_ Ke'Ania cooed as she batted her eyelashes.

"Really now…?" Jafar smiled as he started walking toward Ke'Ania. "And what, parietal, changed your mind?" Jafar was getting closer to her. The guys had to hold Sora back before they tried to move in to steal the lamp.

"_**I didn't realize how… sexy and appealing you looked in this lighting. I guess once I had some time to myself… everything became so clear to me. So… what do you say? Can I be that woman you desire?" **_Ke'Ania huskily asked Jafar.

Jafar smirked as he used one finger to tilt Ke'Ania's head up so that they were looking eye to eye. While Jafar was directed Genie tried to inch the lamp closer to the guys. Right when Genie was close enough to grab the lamp, Iago started to squawk.

"Iago! Shut up you insensitive bird." Jafar ordered.

"Don't worry Boss." Genie smiled as he restrained Iago. "I've taken care of it."

"Good now… _**where were we?**_" Jafar said as he turned back to Ke'Ania, but stopped when Iago started to move again.

"_**Jafar… why does Ke'Ania get to get the attention?"**_ Jasmine said as she let her fingers roam her body. _**"I also wanna be that woman you desire."**_

"Get your own _**Princess Spoiled**_. Can't you see that _**Jafar**_ doesn't need someone as bitchy as you? He wants something more sophisticated than that." Ke'Ania mocked.

"Ladies. Ladies. I'm sure we can work this out." Jafar tried to calm the two arguing women down while the guys moved in on the lamp.

They were so close, but were cut short when Jafar shot green energy out of his staff and almost burned Aladdin's hand. _**"What do you think you are doing?"**_

"**WE'VE COME HERE TO SAVE THE PRINCESSES AND STOP YOUR ASS FROM SUCCESSEDING IN YOUR GOAL!" **Sora yelled as he tossed Aladdin the lamp.

"**GENIE! I WISH KE'ANIA AND JASMINE WERE FREE!"** Aladdin commanded.

"You got it chief." Genie said as he released the girls. The minute Ke'Ania was free she raised her leg and kicked him in his stomach, sending him flying into a pile of gold coins.

"_**YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT YOU BITCH!"**_ Jafar growled as he stood up.

"Man. I'm just getting called that all over the place, huh?" Ke'Ania huffed.

Jafar used his magic staff to forcibly steal the lamp back before giving his last wish. **"GENIE OF THE LAMP! MAKE ME A POWERFUL GENIE SO THAT I CAN CRUSH ALL THOSE WHO STOOD BEFORE ME!"**

"As you wish… Master!" Genie groaned as he flicked his wrist and transformed Jafar into his wish. A magic whirlwind swirled around his body as he started to grow bigger. The ground shook and started to move up and down while the environment around them grew hotter. All the heat was caused by the flames that erupted in the back ground.

"Ok so the villain of this world just wished himself into a giant and powerful Genie and basically turned the whole room into an oven… What do we do?" Ke'Ania said in a panicked voice.

"He's a new genie. That means he has to come with a new lamp. Find the lamp and you can seal him inside it." Genie explained.

"Ok sounds simple enough." Ke'Ania gulped.

"Yeah, but question is… where is the lamp." Sora asked.

"Aladdin. Take Carpet and get everyone as far away from this room as possible, but stay in this cave… just in case when need to make a quick getaway." Ke'Ania commanded.

"What are you guys going to do?" Jasmine asked.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I are going to try and seal Jafar away in his lamp. Now get going." Ke'Ania explained. Aladdin and everyone else hopped on Carpet and flew out of the room after wishing the team of four 'Good luck'. "Ok guys, here's the plan… Sora and Goofy will find the lamp while Donald and I use our ice and water magic to fight him off." Ke'Ania gave the orders as everyone nodded. Ke'Ania and Donald summoned all of their ice and water powers and started fighting and defending against Jafar the Genie.

Sora and Goofy ran around the rising and falling ground in search for Jafar's lamp. "Sora look." Goofy said as he pointed to a flying object.

"It's Jafar's lamp. And Iago has it! Come on!" Sora yelled as they raced after the fleeting parrot. Goofy tired to jump up and use his shield to knock the lamp out of Iago's grasp but he came up a little short. Trying to come up with a plan, Sora was frustrated. But when he saw what Goofy did, he got an idea. "Hey Goofy. Throw your shield and sees if it comes back." Goofy did as he was told and threw his shield, and as Sora suspected, it came back. Now was the time to put his plan into action. "Ok Goofy, I have a plan and if you follow it to the t, then we're going to succeed." Sora calmly said as he tried to whip his forehead free of sweat.

"Ok Sora I'm all ears. What's the plan?" Goofy asked.

"Throw your shield again. Once you do that I'll add fire it and if all goes well it'll hit Iago and then he'll drop the lamp." Sora cheered.

"But um Sora… what if it misses by time it comes back?" Goofy asked.

"Then I hope your gloves are fireproof." Sora chuckled.

"… … … I don't think I like this plan." Goofy confessed.

"Hey I didn't say it was foolproof. Now come on, throw your shield. The quicker we get the lamp the faster we can put Jafar away." Sora said as Goofy nodded. Goofy spun around for a few seconds before he let the shield go. Sora focused and aimed a fireball at the shield. It burned brightly as it headed towards Iago. "Yes." Sora cheered as he grabbed the lamp and started to run back towards Ke'Ania. **"KE'ANIA! DONALD! WE GOT THE LAMP!"** Sora shouted as they reunited.

"Good now let's put this guy on ice." Ke'Ania smiled as he turned towards the giant genie with the lamp in her hands. **"JAFAR! I WISH YOU INTO YOUR PRISION, THIS LAMP!"** Ke'Ania yelled as the ground shook.

"**WHAT'S GOING ON?"** Jafar yelled as gold cuffs appeared on his wrists, like Genie's, before he was sucked into the lamp, taking Iago with him. The walls were falling, they thought they weren't going to survive until Genie and the rest of the gang pulled up. Genie was at the front of Carpet, looking like a taxi driver with a detached stirring wheel. He honked to horn and smiled at the gang of four.

"Need a lift?"

"Hell yeah! Thanks Genie!" Sora cheered as the whole gang hopped on and flew out of the cave, but stopped so that Sora could seal the Keyhole. On their way back to Agrabah, both Jasmine and Ke'Ania had their arms wrapped tightly around their boy's waists and whispered sweet 'thank yous'. Both Sora and Aladdin had blushes on their faces as they replied with 'you're welcome'. The ride home was silent, but not awkward.

When they touched down in front of the palace there were cheers and cries for the heroes and Princess Jasmine's safe return.

"Prince Ali. Thank you for saving my daughter." The Sultan said as he shook Aladdin's hand.

"Actually Sultan… there's something I have to tell you." Aladdin said as he took a deep breath. "I'm not really a prince. My name isn't Prince Ali, its Aladdin. I'm not rich. These are my friends, not servants. I don't have servants, none of that. I'm just an orphan street rat. I'm sorry I lied." Aladdin lowered his head to the floor before the Sultan came closer to him.

"Aladdin… I'm disappointed at you for putting on this performance just so you could marry my daughter, despite knowing the rules." The Sultan started in a harsh tone, causing everyone to winch. It wasn't until he smiled that everyone looked confused. "But, because you were brave enough and saved my daughter and her friends. Despite your situation… I would be honored to have you as my son-in-law." Sultan smiled as he stared at the two smiling teens.

"Thanks Sultan and you guys too." Aladdin said before he turned to Genie. "Well Genie… looks like there's only one thing to do…" Aladdin pulled out Genie's lamp and smiled. "Genie for my last wish… **I SET YOU FREE!**" And with that a purple whirlwind surrounded Genie before it went back into the lamp and caused the lamp to explode. When we turned back to Genie, he was dancing on his own two… legs?

"Well Genie, how does it feel to be free?" Ke'Ania smiled.

"**IT FEELS SO WONDERFUL! I FEEL LIKE I WANT TO EXPLODE!"** Genie shouted as he jumped into the air and exploded before he floated back down.

"Whoa you can still use your powers?" Sora asked.

"Yep. The only difference is that now there's an infinite amount of wishes I can grant to whoever and now I don't have to return to that stuffy old lamp." Genie cheered.

"So Genie, what are you going to do now?" Aladdin asked.

"Well I wanna see the world, but I think I'm going to wait until the celebration is over. So what do you say? Can I stay until then?" Genie pleaded.

"What do you think Jasmine?" Aladdin asked his fiancée.

"You're welcome here anytime you want Genie." She cooed.

"Yippy!"

"Well guys, our job here is done. It's time for use to leave." Ke'Ania said.

"Come back anytime." Sultan said.

"You bet. Come on guys." And with that, the grouped hopped in their ship and left. On the ship they waved goodbye from the window before the world was out of their sights. "You think they'll be alright Ke'Ania?" Sora asked as he turned from the window to face the shorter girl.

"I think they'll be just fine." She answered before she went to her room to bathe and sleep.


	11. Under the Troubled Sea

**Chapter 10: Under the Troubled Sea**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

"Ahhh, that bath was lovely. I haven't slept like that in a while." Were the first words out of my mouth as I stepped into the kitchen. The Mops were already getting to work. Some were even helping me with the cooking. They gathered everything they knew I needed while I put on my apron, they knitted for me while we were away in Agrabah. I started the stove and popped in the eggs and everything to make an omelet. While I was flipping the omelets one Mop was making bacon, another was making toast, one was pouring orange juice in cups, and another was setting the table. While I worked I felt the urge to pet them and tell them that they were great helpers. When I did they actually jumped for joy. I started to laugh at their antics as they helped finish off the breakfast preparations.

"**BREAKFAST!"** And right on queue my boys filed in and sat down to eat.

"I don't know how you do it Ke'Ania. Waking up early and making breakfast. And then when we come home, you never fail to make dinner. How do you do it?" Sora asked as he was already half way through with his food.

"Well I feel like I have to. I wouldn't want you guys to faint on me during a fight because you were hungry." I confessed as I bit into my omelet.

"Hn." Sora replied as he took a sip of his orange juice. "So Donald, what world is next?"

"I checked the World Identifier last night. It read that we were supposed to be visiting a world called Monstro, but it just disappeared." Donald said.

"Gee Donald. Do you think the Heartless got to it?" Goofy asked.

"I don't think so Goofy. It would've told us if Heartless got to it." Donald confessed as he leaned on his hand.

"So what do you think happened to it?" I asked as I ate a piece of bacon.

"I don't know. Maybe it moved." Donald shrugged.

"**WHAT? WORLDS CAN MOVE?"** Sora shouted as he stood up.

"Some can, but it all depends on what kind of world it is." Donald explained.

"Well, what kind of world was it?" Sora asked.

"It was a world inside of a giant whale's stomach, but it doesn't matter now since it's gone. Maybe it'll return once we get out of this next world." Donald sighed.

"What world replaced this one?" I asked as I stood up.

"It didn't tell me last night. Come on. Why don't we all go check." Donald said as he started walking to the control center.

"You guys don't mind washing the dishes do you?" I asked the Mops before they shook their 'heads' no and cleared the table.

…

…

…

In the control room, we all stood in front of a large screen where a world covered in water appeared. "Is that the new world?" I asked.

"Yep. It's called Alantica. It's an underwater world where Mermaids and fish alike reside. There are also a few humans there too." Donald said as he pushed his chair back and hopped out. "We'll be landing in an hour. So everyone let's go and get ready." Everyone nodded as we headed to our rooms.

I showered, brushed my teeth, and did my hair. I had to say that I was sad to let my hair go back to being ruby free. _"At least until another day."_ When Donald said that Alantica was a water world I decided that it'll be a waste to lotion up and to wear anything special, so I left off my socks, belt, and hoodie before walking to the bridge.

I sat on the couch until Donald said that we're landing… what I didn't expect was that we'd land in the ocean. **"I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE'D LAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN!"** I shouted.

"Sorry, but I had to make us land above our destination." Donald said as he scratched the back of his feathered head.

"At least let me make some land so that our ship won't float away when we return." I sighed as I wrote a capital 'E' in the middle of the air before breaking it and making a circle around the ship. "There. Not only will the ship not float away, but it'll be easier for us to cast our spells Donald." I explained as I jumped onto the new man made surface before the rest of them joined me. "I'll cast the water breathing spell. Donald can handle the transformations." I said as I did the same thing with the capitol 'W'. A sphere of water formed around us and disappeared before Donald did the transformations. I was too excited to stick around, so before anyone could blink, I did a back flip into the water without even looking back.

I could feel as cool freshwater hit my bare skin. My eyes were closed but I could feel as the spell removed my clothes and replaced them with a bra and a long narrow fin. My legs weren't separate anymore; now they're bounded together, but I didn't care. I felt so free. I don't know how long I floated there before I heard splashes. When I opened my eyes I looked down to see what my new outfit looked like. I was wearing two white clam shells that covered my breasts and tied together with a string. One string was tied around my back while the other tied around my neck. The fin was red and scaly with a pinkish reddish rim around the top and two transparent flippers, of the same color, on the end. I still wore my white magic gloves. I like this outfit. It was moveable and it didn't bother me at all, because Raven, Saedi, and I used to swim like mermaids all the time.

When I looked up, three set of multiple bubbles covered the bodies of my partners. I quickly swam over to greet the boys, but stopped so that I could contain myself. My actions were torn between laughing and gawking. Donald was naked from the waist up but his lower half was transformed into blue and yellow octopus's tentacles. Goofy was transformed into a black, green, and yellow turtle. His shield rested on the back of his green shell and his hands and feet were long black flippers. The only thing that was the same was his face, head, and hat. I wanted to bust out in a fit of laughter, but decided against it when I saw Sora. His tan tone chest was so bare; I could make out the lines of his four-pack. His hair was, amazingly, in that same bed head, spiked style. His lower half was cover by, what appeared to be, a dolphin's tail. I used to think that his eyes were as blue as the ocean, but now I can clearly see that I was wrong. Even in the ocean, they still shined brighter. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as my pink eyes locked with his beautiful blue ones. A shy smile had spread across my face as I thought about those eyes. _"They're the same eyes I can't help but to keep falling in love with… along with their owner."_

I had to shake my head and try to put a smirk on my face so I could try and hide my blush. "Took you guys long enough." I smirked.

It had to have been at least a few minutes before Sora regained his composure and smirked too. "Well maybe if you hadn't jumped head first into the ocean… you wouldn't have waited so long." He said as he folded his arms over his broad chest and turned his head to the right.

"Wow Ke'Ania… you look so pretty." Goofy complimented. I nodded a thank you before taking the turtle into my arms and hugged him.

"Ok guys; let's get this mission over and done with. Even though I'm a duck, I'd much prefer not to stay under the water any longer than necessary." Donald said as we started to swim, but stopped when we heard struggling noises coming from behind us.

"What's wrong Sora?" Goofy asked.

"I can't swim like this." He confessed as he moved awkwardly.

"Opps, sorry Sora. Don't worry I'll help you." I said as I swam over to him.

…

…

…

"There you go Sora! Now you got the hang of it!" I cheered as I watched the teenage boy swim in circles and do some tricks to get the hang of this new method of swimming.

"Are you guys done messing around?" Donald groaned as he folded his arms.

"Ok Donald we can~" Sora started before he was interrupted by Goofy.

"Guys look. Someone's coming." Goofy said as he tried to point at the approaching figures. When we looked up, a red haired mermaid, accompanied by a yellow and blue fish, swam toward us. We were about to turn around and follow her, but stopped when Heartless appeared. "They must've been running away from them." Goofy said.

"Well then, why don't we lend them a hand." I smirked as I summoned my Keyblade. "Only five? I think our enemies are getting lazier."

"Ohhh Ke'Ania can I take them out? Please?" Goofy pleaded before I gave a quick nod. He did a back flip for joy before spinning himself around and heading straight for the Heartless. It only took a second for Goofy to destroy them with his fins and shield.

"Great job Goofy." I cheered as he blushed… I think.

"Is it safe to come out yet?" a gentle voice cooed from behind a big rock.

"Yep. You can come out now strange girl." Goofy said.

The red haired girl and fish came out of their hiding place with relieved expressions on their faces. The girl's outfit was just like mine except her sea shells were purple and her tail was a mix of blue green. "Thank you so much for saving us, but who are you guys." She asked as she hid the trident behind her.

"I'm Ke'Ania. Nice to meet you." I said as I put my hands behind my back.

"I'm Sora. This is Donald and this is Goofy." He said as he pointed to both of them.

"I'm Ariel and this is my good friend Flounder." She smiled.

"Hey everyone." The fish greeted as he swam toward us. "Whoa… I've never seen you guys before."

"Well you see we don't come from here." I confessed.

"That's right. We come from another part of the ocean." Sora added.

"Wow really? I wish I could visit another part of the ocean, but _**Father**_ won't even let me leave the kingdom." Ariel confessed.

"Wow. Sounds like a strict dad." I said.

"Yeah well he needs to stop it. I'm old enough to~"

"**PRINCESS ARIEL! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE GIRL!"** An angry voice called out as a red crab swam toward us.

"Princess?" Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I gasped as we looked at each other before looking back at Ariel.

"Princess Ariel! Do you have any idea how much trouble you could have gotten yourself into? Do know how much trouble I would've gotten into?" The crab with a Jamaican accent yelled.

"Oh Sebastian. You worry too much. These nice people helped me out when I was chased by those nasty Heartless." Ariel voiced.

"**YOU WHAT?** Girl, you gonna send me to an early sea grave you keep doin da stuff you do." Sebastian said.

"Ariel. Did that crab call you _**Princess**_ Ariel?" I asked her.

"Yeah. I'm the youngest daughter out of seven. My father is King Trident and this is his worry wart of a court composer Sebastian. My father always puts him in charge of me because he thinks I'm too young to take care of myself." Ariel complained.

"Well maybe if you weren't so unruly dan I wouldn't have to watch you all de time." Sebastian defended. "Now stop your complainin and get back to the palace. You fater os worried sick about you." The crab ordered.

"Fine." Ariel sighed in defeat before turning toward us with a smile. "Would you like you come back to the palace with me?"

Right before we were about to answer Sebastian jumped in front of Ariel's face. "Oh no you don't! You will not bring strangers into de palace!"

"These are my friends and they also saved my life so they are coming rather to like it or not!" Ariel yelled back as she started to swim in the opposite direct in which she came from. We soon followed her, wanting to see this palace she lives in.

…

…

…

"**ARIEL! YOU ARE IN BIG TROUBLE!"** The magnificent King Trident yelled as he rose from his throne.

"I'm sorry Father." Ariel apologized.

"**SORRY? SORRY! **_**"SORRY"**_** DOESN'T PROTECT YOU FROM THOSE HEARTLESS!"** The King yelled before he pinched the bridge of his nose and sat back down on his throne. "And who are you four?"

"Your Majesty, King Trident. I am Ke'Ania and these are my good friends Sora, Donald, and Goofy. We are honored to be in your presents." I said as I bowed, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy following suit.

"Father. These four are my friends and they saved my life by defeating the Heartless that tried to attack me." Ariel said.

"Thank you for saving my daughter." King Trident said with a slight head nod before turning to glare at Ariel. "As for you young lady, you are grounded until I saw so. Now go to your room." The King ordered.

"But Father~"

"**GO!"** The King shouted one last time. Ariel poked her chest out, looking like she wanted to say something, but chickened out and started to retreat. All four of us nodded our heads before we followed suit.

…

…

…

"I _**hate**_ my Father." Ariel grumbled into her pillow.

"I'm sure he's just trying to keep you safe." I said in an attempt to consul her.

"Paranoid is what he's being. Why won't her light up?" Ariel complained as she threw the pillow and accidentally hit Sora in the face. "Opps, sorry Sora."

"It's ok. I can kind of relate to your father a little bit. I can tell he cares a lot about you." Sora said with a small smile on his face.

"Oh yeah? Well he's sure as hell not showing it." Ariel said as she had fallen face first onto her bed again.

"Well he wouldn't be so protective if he didn't care right?" Donald said.

"Donald's right Ariel, so cheer up. Maybe if you listen to your Daddy for today then he might just let you out of your room." Goofy said as he gave Ariel one of her flowers.

"Ok Goofy." Ariel smiled as she put the flower in her hair.

"Well then Ariel you be good while Sora, Donald, Goofy and I are gone." I said was I swum over to the window.

"Where are you guys going?" Ariel asked.

I bit my lip. I couldn't tell her that we were going searching for the villain or more Heartless. That would only make her worried and the last thing we need is a worried princess. "We're just going to explore the kingdom. Don't worry we'll be back before you know it. Why don't you take a nap. We'll be here when you wake up." I forced smiled at her.

"Ok, but be careful. I don't want the Heartless getting you guys." Ariel said as I nodded before swimming out of the window. Sora, Donald, and Goofy soon followed after me.

…

…

…

We had searched for hours only to come up with nothing. It frustrated me to no end. I aimed my gloved fist at a rock and made it crumble before me. "Ke'Ania." Sora said getting my attention. "Why didn't you just ask Ariel who the villain was in this world?"

"Because. I didn't want her to know that someone is after her. It'll only cause panic, and that's the last thing we need right now. I don't need to see a whole world be on alert. That just makes our job harder, especially since we can't tell people who or what we really are unless they already know." I explained.

Everything after that just became quiet as we floated there at a lost. Without any leads there was nothing we could do… and I hate it. "Guys look. Someone's coming." Goofy said as we turned to see Ariel swimming toward us with the King's trident in Ariel's hands.

"Ariel? What are you~" I started, but stopped when she shushed me.

"I don't really have a lot of time to explain, but if you see Sebastian… please don't tell him that you saw us pass by here." Ariel said she swam off into the distance.

"Something smells fishy." Donald said as he folded his arms.

"Sorry." Goofy laughed.

"**NOT YOU, YOU IDIOT!** I meant about Ariel!" Donald yelled.

"Donald's right. Why would Ariel be carrying around King Trident's trident? And why would she be so far away from the palace?" Sora questioned with a hand on his strong chin.

"Why don't we find out. Donald and Goofy, you two follow Ariel. If she needs help then give it, but the minute you find out what's going on come back here. Sora and I will go back to the palace try to find out what's going on. When we find something, we'll meet you back here too." I ordered as everyone nodded before we went our separate ways. I shivered when I felt a sudden dark chill run down my spine.

"You ok?" Sora asked as he put a hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah. Let's go." I said. _"Whatever that chill was… it was menacing."_

…

…

…

It didn't take us long to get back to the palace, but when we got there the place was in complete disarray. We made it to the throne room with little trouble, thanks to everyone being distracted. Inside, Sebastian was floating around, his head was down and his claws were behind his back. I pulled Sora behind one of the tall pillars as Sebastian slowly floated by us.

"Awe man. Da King will have my head for sure. Da kingdom is in chaos. First the King suddenly falls ill, den the trident goes missin… and on top of everyting… dat troublesome princess has left the palace. Dis world will be down the toilet after I'm boiled in butter. I just hope dat dat Sea Witch, Ursula, isn't behind anyting. "

"Did you catch all that?" Sora asked with confusion in his eyes.

"To put everything in a nutshell, after we left something, or some_**one**_, made King Trident ill, Ariel must've heard about it and left to find this Ursula person and asked for her help." I explained.

"Ok, that sounds logical, but still doesn't explain why Ariel needs the trident." Sora said.

"Well from the way Sebastian talked, he made Ursula sound like the villain of this world. So might use the trident as an excuse to lure Ariel to her and then turn around and use the trident to destroy this world." I gasped.

"Do you really think so Ke'Ania?" Sora gasped too.

"God I hope not. Come on. We need to hurry." I said as we swam out of the palace and back to our meeting location.

…

…

…

"**KE'ANIA! SORA! WE NEED TO HURRY!"** Donald shouted as Goofy and he swam toward us.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked.

"Ariel went into a strange looking grotto." Goofy explained.

"That must be Ursula's Grotto." Sora snared as he punched his fist into his left palm.

"Who's Ursula?" Donald asked.

"She's the Sea Witch who made King Trident. We have to hurry before she swipes Ariel." I said as we quickly swam toward the grotto.

Inside I was creped the fuck out. Below me were these creepy brown like wiggling things. One tried to grab my wrist but I swatted it away. _"This witch is a little bit more on the psychotic level then most villains I've met so far."_ When we finally reached the end of the grotto, Ariel was about to give Ursula the trident.

"**ARIEL DON'T!"** I yelled as we filed into the small room like place.

"Ke'Ania? Sora? Donald? Goofy? What are you guys doing here?" Ariel asked as she turned to face us.

"Stopping you. You can't give Ursula the trident. She's the one who~"

"**THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU PRINCESS!"** I was about to expose the witch before she cut me off and hit Ariel and me with two different spells. I couldn't focus. I felt my legs come apart and my clothes started to reform. I couldn't breathe. All I felt was water filling up my lungs. I grasped my throat. I opened my mouth and a lot of bubbles form in front of my face as my eye lids closed and my body went numb. The last thing I heard, before slipping into an unconscious state, were Sora's cries of my name.

**Normal P.O.V.**

I watched as Ariel's and Ke'Ania's human forms go limp before Ursula sucked them into two necklaces. Ariel was sucked into her spiral necklace while Ke'Ania went into a spare crystal jeweled necklace. "Ke'Ania…" I whispered as Ursula laughed before taking hold of the fallen trident.

"**NOW I HAVE THE TRIDENT AND TWO PRINCESSES! I HAVE THE POWER!"** Ursula laughed at the top of her lungs.

"**GIVE THEM BACK! **_**NOW!**_**" **Sora growled as he clenched his fists.

"**WHYY DON'T YOU TAKE THEM BACK FROM ME… **_**LITTLE MAN**_**!"** Ursula challenged as a bunch of black smoke surrounded her body and made her disappear. Sora growled as he raced out of the grotto and outside where a battle was about to commence.

Ursula had grown into a giant, along with the trident she wielded. She laughed as she stared down at the tiny teen, octopus-duck and turtle. Sora was infuriated when he drew his Keyblade. Sora knew that there was no point in talking to Ursula, so he decided that his Keyblade would be loud enough.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy swam toward her, weapons ready, and started their attacking. It was a little hard for Sora to fight with the tail but he managed. Their attacks had almost no affect on the giant sea witch. She used her hand to swat them away like bugs. Sora went from angry to pissed. He was about to use an electrical attack, but was stopped by Donald.

"You idiot! You can't use lightning under water. You'll shock us all and not only that… you might hurt the girls." Donald explained.

"**THEN WHAT THE HELL DO I DO?"** Sora screamed in frustration.

"Well first of all, you have to calm down. Remember everything you were taught form before. Use it against her." Donald said as he and Goofy charged toward the Sea Witch.

Sora had to stop and think for a minute before his mind devised a plan to stop Ursula. He aimed his Keyblade at Ursula. The tip started to glow blue before he swung his Keyblade from left to right rapidly. Each ice block hit the witch. She groaned in pain as she was impaled with ice crystals. When his arms were tired, his breath was labored and tons of crystals were sticking out of her skin. Blood leaked from her wounds.

"I think it's time to retreat." Ursula announced as she tried to escape through a black hole.

"_**OH NO YOU DON'T!"**_ Sora roared as he shot more ice toward her. She knocked the first set of crystals out of the way, but failed to save herself from the other five sets. One managed to knock the crystal holding Ke'Ania and the trident out of Ursula's grasp before she was able to get away. The falling trident started to glow. Sora used his Keyblade to seal the keyhole before he went after Ke'Ania's floating body while Donald and Goofy caught the trident that went back to its normal size.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy went to the surface and climbed on top of the man made surface Ke'Ania made. Sora gently set her down. He put his index and middle on her neck and tried to feel for her pulse before Donald pushed him out of the way. Donald gently waved his hands over her chest before running them up the middle of her chest, her throat, and to her lips. Sora felt jealousy spike in him even though he knew that Donald was just helping her. When Donald removed his fingers, a sphere of water removed itself from Ke'Ania's parted lips. All three boys watched as the color returned to Ke'Ania's face before she started coughing.

Ke'Ania put a hand on her head as she sat up. "I'm still human?" She asked as everyone nodded. "What happened to Ursula?"

"Sora defeated her and save you and the trident." Goofy cheered.

"And Ariel…?" Ke'Ania asked again.

Sora looked down before answering her. "She got Ariel. I was barely able to rescue you… I'm sorry."

"It's ok Sora. We'll just have go and rescue her, won't we? We have to give the trident back. Donald would you please?" Ke'Ania shyly smiled as she stood up. Donald nodded as he performed the spell on her as she jumped into the ocean once more. She waited for everyone else to join her before they took off toward the palace.

…

…

…

When they got there, everyone was cheering. King Trident was back to normal and sitting on his throne with a worried expression on his face. Our heroes made their way toward the King of Alantica and gave him his trident.

"My trident? You found it?" Everyone nodded after the King spoke. "Where's Ariel?"

No one spoke for a minute. Ke'Ania was the one who swam in front of the king. "I'm sorry your majesty, but… Ariel has been taken by Ursula to another world. We were too late in our attempt to try and rescue her… I'm sorry. We will go to that world and bring her back here A.S.A.P." Ke'Ania said.

"Ariel…" The King said as he turned his head. "You promise that you'll bring her back?"

"You have my word. We will personally deliver her to you." Ke'Ania reassured the king before she started to swim out of the room.

"Ke'Ania…" The King called out, causing Ke'Ania to stop and stare at him. "Thanks." She gave a long nod before she swam out the room. Donald and Goofy followed after her while Sora turned to look at the depressed king one last time before he sighed.

"_I hope you're right Ke'Ania."_


	12. Bonus Chapter for Raven

**Bonus Chapter for Raven**

**Normal P.O.V.**

Dinner that night was quiet. No one dared to speak. There was no comfortable silence, no tension… just awkward silence. Ke'Ania was the first one done. She mumbled a good-night before she returned to her room. Her bath was already drawn. She stripped and stepped into the hot steamy liquid. She didn't care that her hair wasn't put up. In fact she welcomed the feel of her hair wrapping itself around her body. Unfortunate for her though, her thoughts never left her mind, even when she sank lower into the relaxing water. The anxiety was killing her. She decided to wash her body before stepping out. She had stepped into her usual oversized t-shirt and basketball shorts. She dried her hair before she braided it.

She slid under the covers and tried to sleep. It took forever for her to finally sleep, but it didn't last long. The clock on her nightstand read midnight. She groaned as she got out of bed and walked around the quiet ship. When I looked outside, I realized that we were still docked on the manmade surface. She climbed out of the roof and down onto the land. Her feet hit the cool wet ground.

She realized that she was far from any land so she decided to just sit there and let her feet hang in the water. Looking in the starry ski seemed to calm her down. She was lost to reality. The only thing she cared for was the beautiful ski above.

"_**What are you doing out here all alone?"**_ A smooth voice called to her. She turned her head to come face to face with a half naked Sora. She blushed as she smirked and turn her head away.

"Just thinking." Ke'Ania replied.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked. Ke'Ania nodded her head and watched as Sora took a seat next to her. They stayed in that silence until Sora decided to speak. "What was u thinking about?"

"This whole adventure."

"You know Ke'Ania… if this is too hard… you could always stay in Travers Town. I don't want to see you getting hurt." Sora confessed.

Ke'Ania just shook her head. "This is the most dangerous fun I've ever had. I'm glad I was able to do this." She practically whispered. Sora nodded as he scooted closer to her. She moved closer to him. Sora hesitated before he grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together. Both had gentle blushes and smiles on their faces.

Ke'Ania and Sora scooted back so that their feet were out of the water. Sora leaned back and brought Ke'Ania with him. Their hands rested in the small gap between their bodies. Both stared into the other's eyes. Both started to feel sleepy. Their eyes started to close but right before they closed, each one could have sworn they saw another person laying there. Ke'Ania could've sworn she saw a blue eyed blond haired boy while Sora could've sworn he seen an olive green eyed blond haired girl with red streaks.

…

…

…

The starry sky hung above her head. A blond shoulder length haired girl with olive green eyes and red streaks sat on the sandy beach… waiting for her love to arrive. Usually he was never late, but it didn't matter to her. She would wait forever. That's what you're supposed to do for the ones you love.

She sat on the beach. The rolling water hit her bare toes and made her giggle. The wind wasn't cool. In fact it was quite warm. There she sat in her white tank top and pink wrist length shorts. Her wrists were decorated with bracelets of the same color. Her arms were wrapped around her legs. Her head rested on her knees. She was content with the time, but when her love finally arrived… this time just became even more precious.

"Hey Raven." A boy with dirty bland hair and bright blue eyes stood behind her. He wore a black wife beater, white baggy pants and rings with the same colors.

"Hey Roxas. Where have you been?" Raven asked as she stood up and dusted herself off.

"I wanted to buy you something." He replied. Roxas pulled out a beautiful red rose and gave it to her as he kissed her forehead. He stood at least eight inches taller than Raven, but she didn't mind. Secretly she wished he were a little taller, but his height was more than enough to satisfy her height fetish.

Roxas linked their hands together and led her along the beach. Each enjoying the water as it brushed passed their feet and his pants. The time spent with his love was never a waste, as some might say. They shared everything together. Some called it sick. Some called it weird. They called it happiness… they called it love. As they walked along the beach, their conversation was idle and small, but they didn't need words to express their love and happiness.

Soon they came to rest on a nice warm spot of sand. They stared at the shinning night sky. As Raven pointed out the constellations Roxas just smiled and kiss her knuckles. For a few minutes they were both quiet. Their eyes were closed but they weren't sleep.

"Hey Roxas…"

"Yeah…?" Roxas said as he opened one eye.

"How long do you think we'll be together?" Raven asked.

"As long as you'll let me stay around." Roxas replied.

"Do you think we'll ever be free…?" Raven asked as she finally turned to look at Roxas' relaxed face.

"Of course I do. You just have to hold on and keep believing that we will."

"You're right Roxas." Raven agreed as she moved closer to her personal heater. Roxas nodded before he pulled her down for a sweet kiss. Once they pulled away, Raven sighed and laid her head on the broad chest of her soulmate. His slow breathing lulled her to sleep. She was everything to him and vice versa. There was no where she'd rather be right.

…

…

…

Ke'Ania awoke with a start. _"What a weird dream."_ She groaned as she sat up. It was still dark outside. It seemed as if time had stayed virtually still while she slept. When she was fully aware of what was going on, she realized a few things. One, she was lying on Sora's bare chest. Two their fingers were still laced together. And three… that dream was totally out of whack. She gently shook Sora awake. "Sora. Come on Sora. We need to get back to the ship." She said as she pulled him along and back to the ship.

Sora followed her without a word. He yawned as he rubbed his eyes before pocketing his hand. Their fingers never unlinked themselves as they traveled back to the Gummi ship.

"_That was a weird and random dream. I wonder if Sora had the same dream?"_


	13. A Monstro of a Maze

**Chapter 11: A Monstro of a Maze**

**Normal P.O.V.**

Everything that happened in the past week or so has really gotten to Ke'Ania. There would be times when she would just sit in her room… thinking. Like this morning. She was just lying on her bed. Just thinking about this adventure. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and her job is to restore worlds and protect the princess. So far they've failed… or so Ke'Ania thinks. _"We're failing a our destiny. Shouldn't we be fired by now?"_

**KNOCK KNOCK**

"May I come in?" Sora asked from the doorway. Ke'Ania nodded before Sora entered and lied down next to Ke'Ania on her full sized bed. "A penny for your thoughts." He smirked as he turned to look at her blue-green eyes.

"You're so cheesy." She smirked back as she looked back at her crush.

"Anything to make you smile." He replied.

"… Sora… do you think we're failures?" She asked while staring at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" Sora asked while studying her frame.

"I mean… Every princess, except Jasmine, we've met so far are gone. We can't stop the villains… Makes me wonder if we were really chosen, or was it all by accident." Ke'Ania confesses as she sat up and hugged her knees.

"Well I think you're wrong." Sora propped himself against the headboard before he put his arms around her shoulders, causing her to lean into his chest. Before he started again, Sora could feel some of Ke'Ania's warm tears on his neck. "I just know that we were destined to do this. I don't think that we're failures. In fact I think everything is going according to plan. We may not be able to save the princesses now, but we will in due time. At least we've made their world safe for them to return to when we do rescue them. So Ke'Ania… after everything I've said… can you still look me in the eyes and say that we're failures?"

Ke'Ania shook her head, but never looked at Sora. She smiled and blushed when he whipped away her tears before she felt Sora heading for the door. She didn't think before she wrapped her arms around his front and hugged his back. "Thank you… Sora." She whispered in his back.

"No problem." He smiled back as he placed his hands over hers.

"**SORA! KE'ANIA! I FOUND THE MISSING WORLD!"** Donald yelled into the intercom.

…

…

…

"Uh Donald… Where is it?" Ke'Ania asked with brown, confused eyes.

"Yeah… cuz either I just went blind or there is no world there." Sora agreed.

"I don't know? It was right here a minute ago." Donald said panicked as he kept pressing buttons on the World Finder Operator.

"Maybe if you calm down and focus~" Goofy started before Donald interrupted.

"**I'M CALM! I'M JUST FRUSTRATED! I GOT THIS!"** Donald twitched.

"Come on Donald. How about I warm you up some milk to help calm your nerves." Ke'Ania cooed as she helped Donald out of his seat.

The pair made it half way to the kitchen before the ship started to shake. **"WHAT'S GOING ON?"** Ke'Ania yelled as the alarm started to go off. Red lights flashed throughout the whole ship as everyone grabbed onto something grounded.

"**DONALD! WHAT DOES THE COMPUTER SAY?"** Sora shouted.

Donald cautiously made his way back to the World Finder Operator. Everyone was slipping and sliding around the room as Donald went to work.

"**WHAT'S THAT?"** Goofy shouted as he pointed toward the window.

"**I THINK IT'S MONSTRO!"** Donald replied as the ship shook harder.

Everyone prayed that the ship wouldn't come apart as they were swallowed by the giant whale.

…

…

…

**GROAN**

"Is everyone alright?" Goofy asked as he stood up.

"Well nothing's broken, but I think I'm suffering from Whale swallowing trauma." Ke'Ania sarcastically said as Sora helped her up.

"I told you I found the new world." Donald cheered as he jumped up in triumph.

"Come on. Let's see what this world has to offer. I highly doubt any princess lives here." Ke'Ania announced as everyone nodded.

…

…

…

"**THIS PLACE IS DISQUSTING!"** Ke'Ania shouted as she stepped on the whale's tongue.

"Well what do you expect? I mean… we are in a whale after all." Sora said as he jumped next to Ke'Ania.

"Shut up Sora." Ke'Ania said as she hit him upside his head. "What's the damage on the engine Donald?"

"Well… the bad news is that it's busted." Donald sighed.

"What's the good news?" Sora asked.

"I can fix it, but it'll take time." Donald finished.

"Then it's settled. Donald and Goofy will stay behind and fix the engine while Sora and I will go and search the whale. There's got to be a reason as to why it swallowed us." Ke'Ania announced.

"And I think I found the first place to start. Let Ke'Ania. It's a boat home." Sora said as he pointed north, toward the back of the whale's throat.

"Perfect." Ke'Ania cheered.

"Yeah, but how do we get over there?" Sora questioned.

"I'll make an earth path like I did in Alantica." Ke'Ania smirked as she wrote the letter 'E' in midair before she slammed her hand on the 'ground'. The whale shook as a rock path started to form. Once completed, Sora and Ke'Ania traveled down it to investigate the boat home.

…

…

…

"Who do you think lives here?" Sora asked as he looked around.

"I don't know, but whoever they are… they're fine in my book." Ke'Ania cooed as she held and played with a black and white cat.

"You are you guys?" A small voice called out to our heroes.

"Who's there?" Sora asked as he drew his Keyblade.

"Look on the nightstand." Called the voice.

"Relax your weapon Sora. It's just a little cricket." Ke'Ania said as she walked over to the nightstand. Why hello there little cricket. My name's Ke'Ania and this is my friend Sora. Who are you?" She smiled.

"Oh my. I didn't know that I was in presents of royalty. Please forgive me. The name's Jiminy Cricket. I am Pinocchio's guardian. What are you guys doing here?" Jiminy asked.

"How do you know about us?" Sora asked.

"I know everything going on in almost every world. Believe it or not, when I'm not guarding Pinocchio, I'm helping the King with whatever he needs help in. Mostly I just organize his files. Where are Donald and Goofy?" The cricket asked as he looked around.

"They're trying to fix the engine. It busted after Monstro eat us." Sora explained.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. Is there anything I can help with?" Jiminy asked.

"Can you tell us why Monstro swallowed us?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Sorry. I may live here, but I can't control what this whale does. It has a mind of its own." Jiminy confessed.

"Well that doesn't help us at all. Thanks anyway. Come on Sora. Maybe we'll have better luck in the whale's stomach." Ke'Ania sighed.

"Great. We went from heroes to doctors over night. I don't remember this job coming with the job title of whale tummy caretaker."

"Quit your complaining Sora. Think about this way. The faster we find the problem, the fast we can get out of here." Ke'Ania said as she was about to hop off the side of the boat.

"**JIMINY!"** Everyone turned to see an old guy, wearing an apron come from a hidden room in the floor.

"What's wrong Geppetto?" Jiminy asked.

"I can't find Pinocchio anywhere! I don't know where he went!" Geppetto cried.

"Don't worry. My friends Sora and Ke'Ania will help find that boy." Jiminy comforted.

"We will?" Sora asked before Ke'Ania elbowed him in his side. "I mean… we will." Sora forced a smile as he held his side.

"You have nothing to worry about. We will find and personally return him here safe and sound." Ke'Ania smiled. "Um… Jiminy… can I talk to you for a minute?"

Sora, Ke'Ania, and Jiminy walked off to another corner of the boat home.

"Now Jiminy… I don't mind going on a hunt for a missing child… _**if I actually knew what the child looked like!**_" Ke'Ania voiced in a whisper.

"All you have to do is look for a wooden boy running around in the whale's stomach. You can't miss him." Jiminy comforted.

"Gee, thanks." Sora rolled his eyes.

"Mr. Geppetto… we shall take our leave in search of your son. Jiminy will stay and comfort you while we're gone." Ke'Ania smiled as she hopped off the boat.

"We'll be back soon." Sora cheered as he followed Ke'Ania.

…

…

…

"Ugh, who knew finding a wooden boy would be so difficult?" Ke'Ania groaned.

"It's been hours… do you think we should give up?" Sora asked.

"We can't. You saw the desperate and scared look on the father's face. In case you forgotten, I used to sport that very same look not too long ago. We can't let him down." Ke'Ania spoke with a serious expression.

"_**Yeah Sora. Didn't I teach you better than that?"**_

Both teens turned around to see their lost best friend from their island. **"RIKU!"** They both cheered with glee.

"How have you guys been?" Riku asked as he stood above them on one of the whale's ledges.

"We've killed a few Heartless here and there, we've been looking for you and Kairi, I was chosen as the Keyblade Master, and Ke'Ania discovered that she's a princess." Sora updated.

"Sounds like you've been busy. I'm glad you're safe Ke'Ania." Riku smiled as he stared at Ke'Ania.

"**RIKU… YOU'RE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!"** Ke'Ania yelled as she jumped toward Riku. When she reached him, Ke'Ania hit him over the head before she engulfed him in a gentle and warm hug. "But I'm glad you're safe." She whispered into his chest.

Riku smirked as he hugged her back. He almost laughed at the jealously burning in Sora's eyes. Sora was so focused on trying to make Riku's head explode that he missed Riku's hand rising.

"**KE'ANIA! WATCH OUT!"** Sora shouted.

"Huh?" Ke'Ania turned her head just in time to feel Riku hitting the back of her neck. Ke'Ania's body fell limp in Riku's arms. Riku hooked his arms behind her back and under her knees so he could carry her bridal style.

"Well Sora I must take my leave with_** my **_girl." Riku smirked as he disappeared in another part of the whale's stomach.

"**RIKU! GET BACK HERE! THAT'S **_**MY**_** GIRL!"** Sora yelled as he chased after them.

…

…

…

"**I FOUND YOU!"** Sora yelled as he finally caught up with Riku. "Now hand over Ke'Ania." He commanded to the older boy.

"Are you stupid? As you can plainly see, **I DON'T HAVE HER! AND EVEN IF I DID I WOULDN'T HAND HER TO AN IDIOT LIKE YOU!"** Riku shouted at the brunette.

"**HELP!"** Pinocchio yelled from inside the Parasite Cage.

"Pinocchio?" Sora asked.

"Yes. Who are you?" The wooden boy asked.

"I'll tell you later. Is a girl with long brown hair in there with you?" Sora asked.

"Yes, but she's unconscious." Pinocchio replied.

"Damn Riku. How had did you hit her?" Sora complained.

"That's not important right now! We need to get them out of there… truce…?" Riku asked.

"For now." Sora agreed as they shook hands.

The two boys went to work quickly. Both Sora and Riku hacked away at the Parasite Cage, being absolute careful not to touch the acid that surrounded it. It took longer than they thought, but they finally freed its captives. But that was the end of their truce. Sora barely had time to react before Riku attacked with his sword.

"**WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING RIKU?" **Sora yelled after he pushed Riku back.

"**KE'ANIA CAN ONLY BE WITH ONE GUY! **_**AND THAT WILL BE ME!**_**"** Riku growled as he charged at his former best friend again.

"**YOU'RE THE ONE THAT'S STUPID! IT'S GOING TO BE ME WHO KE'ANIA WILL BE WITH!" **Sora yelled as he punched Riku in the mouth.

They clashed over and over again, completely unaware that Ke'Ania started to stir.

**GROAN**

"Are you ok?" Pinocchio asked as he kneeled near Ke'Ania.

"I'm fine. Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm Pinocchio. I'm so glad you're awake Ke'Ania." The wooden boy said to the princess.

"What's the problem?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Them." Pinocchio pointed toward the two competing boys.

"**SHE'S MINE!" **Sora yelled.

"**IN YOUR DREAMS!"** Riku yelled back.

"**HOW ABOUT I READ YOU A BED TIME STORY?" **Sora asked as he tripped Riku.

"Why?" Riku asked with a confused face.

"**BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO PUT YOU TO BED!"** Sora announced before he jumped up and tried to stab Riku.

"I got this." Ke'Ania said as she stood up and raised her fingers toward two boys, causing lightning to strike the two. _**"Now that I have your attention…"**_ She growled. **"STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS! WE NEED TO WORK TOGETHER IF WE WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE! NOW STOP BEHAVING LIKE CHILDREN AND FORM A TRUCE BEFORE I MAKE THE NEXT LIGHTNING ATTACK DOUBLE ITS POWER!"** Ke'Ania threatened as she readied her fingers for the first objection. Slowly both boys inched closer and shook hands and forced smiles. "Good, now. Pinocchio… do you know how to get to the heart?" She asked the wooden boy.

"If you travel up through there then you**'**ll reach it." Pinocchio informed.

"Thank you. Ok now I'm going to send you back to your boat home. Be good for your father. We'll meet you there when we're down." Ke'Ania smiled as she touched Pinocchio's chest and made him disappear before turning back to look at the boys with red eyes. "You heard the boy… we're going to the heart…_**now**_!" Ke'Ania commanded as both boys nodded in fear of their crush's rage.

"Is she usually this scary when she's mad?" Riku whispered as they walked to the entrance way to the heart.

"You ain't seen nothing yet." Sora sighed.

…

…

…

When they reached the heart, they saw what Ke'Ania feared the most. "I knew it." She whispered as she clenched her fists. There was a much bigger and tougher Parasite Cage trying to get to Monstro's heart.

"How did you know Ke'Ania?" Sora asked as they observed the Parasite Cage.

"I sensed an evil force here… it only made since that it would come straight to the heart of this world, which in this case really is Monstro's heart." Ke'Ania informed as she used her lightning magic to stun the Heartless. "We have a few minutes before it snaps out of it… we must hurry." And with that Ke'Ania summoned her Keyblades, jumped to reach the Heartless, and knocked it to the ground.

Riku and Sora waited until it landed on the 'ground' before they attacked the parasite Heartless. Just like the other cage, both boys hacked away at the Heartless. Right when they were going to finish off their enemy, it used its arms and struck both boys. They fell to the floor with a thud and a hiss from the pain in their arms.

"**SORA! RIKU!"** Ke'Ania yelled, but stopped when she noticed the Parasite cage trying to recharge itself with the acid inside of Monstro. _**"No you don't."**_ She growled as she covered the Heartless in water before she jumped and stuck her Keyblades into its body, freezing it before she destroyed it.

Once that was done, she raced over to both boys and removed the poison and acid from their wounds. "Are you guys alright?" She asked in a concerned voice and purple eyes.

"I'm fine. Thanks." Riku smirked at Ke'Ania.

"I'm fine too." Sora cheered as he raced over to the pair.

"Well then it looks like it's time for me to go. I'll see you around, Ke'Ania." Riku smirked as he kissed her hand before disappearing into another black hole.

"**RIKU!"** She shouted. "We have to save him."

"Why should we?" Sora frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because he's our friend and he needs our help." She voiced.

"You're right, but there's nothing we can do about it now. Come on…" Sora said before he used his Keyblade to seal the keyhole. "Let's go check on everyone before we begin our search." Sora suggested.

…

…

…

They made their way back to discover the Gummi ship fixed and Pinocchio safe and sound. After tons of goodbyes and hugs, the four of them headed out of Monstro and onto the next world.

Once they boarded, Ke'Ania took a seat in front of the window and remained there for the longest time. _"Wherever you are Riku… I hope you're alright."_


	14. The Ugliness of Notre Dame

**Chapter 12: The Ugliness of Notre Dame**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

When we finally landed, after so many hours of traveling, I jumped for joy upon discovering where we landed. "Where are we?" Sora asked as he stood by me.

"You don't remember? We're in Paris, 1482. We learned this in Mrs. Riley's class." I sighed.

"Oh yeah… I slept through that bitch's class." He laughed.

"Sora." Goofy gasped.

"Well the woman didn't like me anyway, so what was the point in learning from her." He replied as he put his hands behind his head.

"She didn't like you _**because **_you slept in her class, and snored." I laughed.

"Again… not my fault." Sora smiled.

"Can we just get this over with." Donald groaned.

"Agreed." I nodded. "Ok, judging from the music and laughing we're hearing, there must be some type of festival going on. I think I'll be best if I perform the transformations." I said as I used my magic to do just that. When the magic ceased, Sora and I were wearing the clothes while Donald and Goofy actually looked like their animal selves. "Ok Donald and Goofy, try not to talk. I know that people in the previous worlds heard you guys talk in the past, but this is one world I would much prefer for us _**not **_to stick out like a sore thumb." I explained.

"But why Ke'Ania?" Sora asked.

"Because… these people don't really like 'talking' animals. I highly doubt that these people are different from what I'm basing this all off of." I almost hissed as we ventured toward the joy-filled town.

…

…

…

When we entered the village, a sense of humor and happiness filled my insides. I had a general idea as to why I was feeling like this, but I didn't think that I would feel this as much as I am right now. _"I always wondered what it would be like to take part in history's customs and culture… but to actually be right here, right now… was beyond incredible."_

The sounds and sights made me stand in awe at the magic that surrounded me, but I think what caught my attention the most was the Cathedral's bells. As if I were a zombie, being led to its prey, I followed the sound into the church and up the stairs. The faint calls from Sora, Donald, and Goofy could be heard, but I chose to ignore them and continued my quest for the bells' ringer.

The stairway was long and winding, and at the end I stumbled upon a door. To some my journey would've been a waste of time, but to me it was worth it to find such pure energy coming from such a creepy place.

"Ke'Ania… what's gotten into you?" I heard Sora ask as he put his hand on my shoulder.

"Behind this door lies a pure hero. I can sense their pureness, but it's blocked by loneliness, sadness, and pain." I replied as I opened the door.

Inside the small room were a bed, a table, and a wide open space to view the village from below with those same beautiful golden bells hanging above. "Who goes there? Frollo? Master Frollo is that you?" Asked a trembling voice. Over the bed rose a hunched, deformed figure.

"_Is this the source I've been sensing?"_

"You're not Judge Frollo. Who are you?" Asked the same voice, excepted it was laced with anger.

"Whoa relax buddy. We don't want any trouble." Sora said as he put his hands defensibly.

"What are you doing up here? It is forbidden to be here. If you came to mess with me… then please get it over with and leave quickly… I won't tell that you were up here." The figure said in almost a hushed tone.

I felt so bad for this person. I could feel as his emotions switched from scared, to anger, to sadness in almost an instant. I walked over to the hunched figure and sat down in front of him. I reached out my hand to touch the man, but when he flinched, so did I. His body started to tremble with anticipation and fear. I wait a few more minutes before I let my stroke his cheek. The skin beneath my palm and fingers wasn't hard or anything ugly… it was actually soft and nice to touch. I didn't stop my movements when he gasped and widen his eyes at me. "Don't be afraid." Was all I said before my fingers crept into his fire red short hair and petted his hand. "We mean no harm." I said ad he seemed to believe me. I touched my two fingers to his chest and watched as they started to glow. As I started speaking, my eyes never left the spot where I could practically see his heart beating. "You were the one I sensed… weren't you? I could sense despair, sadness, fear, loneliness, wonder, innocence, and amazement coming from inside your small frame. I can tell that you've had it rough and yet you have never once lost your faith." I read before I removed my fingers and smiled. "My mane is Ke'Ania… What's yours…?" I asked.

"Quasimodo… How did you know all of that strange lady?" The amazed figure asked me.

"It's because I could read your reactions, and it's because I can see what your heart holds. But, now you don't have to be so sad. I'll be your first friend. How about it? I know it's hard to trust someone at first, especially the way your life has been up until now. But trust me and I promise that I will do you no harm." I smiled as I held my hand out for the man. He was hesitating at first, but after a minute he finally took my hand and allowed me to pull him from the hard wooden ground. "Come on. I'll introduce you to my friends." I led him around the bed and toward the place where my partners stood. "This is Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Everyone… this is Quasimodo. The one I was telling you guys about. The one with the pure soul covered in sadness and all that madness." I said.

"Oh yeah… nice you meet you." Goofy smiled as he shook Quasimodo's hand.

"You too." Replied the man.

"Was that you ringing those bells?" Donald asked.

"Yes. It is my job to ring them every day." He replied.

"You said that we're not allowed up here… why is that?" Sora asked as he sat in front of Quasimodo.

"It's because it is forbidden. I am up here. From what Judge Frollo has told me, he must keep me hidden from the rest of the world because I am… 'impure'." Quasimodo confessed.

"Impure? What's impure about you?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

"**LOOK AT ME! I'M UGLY! EVERYONE KNOWS IT! I KNOW IT! AND IT IS BECAUSE I AM UGLY I CANNOT LIVE A NORMAL LIFE! SO I AM FORCED TO LIVE UP HERE IN ISOLATION UNTIL THE DAY I DIE!"** The sadden man yelled as he sank to the floor with tears in his eyes.

Only the sounds of birds flapping their wings can be heard before the sound of my footsteps on this unforgiving wooden floor. "You're not ugly." I whispered.

"Yes I am… Don't try to fill my head with lies." Quasi said as he shook his head.

"But I'm not lying… Quasi listen to me… you're only as ugly as your personality. If you are a spiteful and hateful person, than you're ugly. Take this Judge Frollo. I have never seen this man, but from what you told me… I think he's the most grotesque thing in this world. But you on the other hand… you are one of the most beautiful. Despite your isolation and despite and despite the way you've been treated over these past years, you still managed to hold on strong and continued to have hope and faith. Now if that isn't beauty then I don't know what is." I smiled.

"She right you know Quasi."

"Yeah. How many times have we told you the same thing?"

"Over a billion."

All four of us jumped when we heard three voices speak. **"Who's there? Come out!"** Sora shouted as he summoned his Keyblade.

"Whoa… tell your visitor to put down the odd looking key thing." Said one of the voices.

"Please forgive them. They didn't mean to scare you. Hugo, Victor, Laverne come out and meet my new friends." Quasimodo smiled as he turned toward the balcony.

All four of us gasped when three stone gargoyles appeared. "Oh that's great that you made new friends Quasi." The oldest gargoyle cooed.

"Yes. I'm glad at the progress you're making." Smiled the tallest gargoyle.

"Any friend of Quasimodo is any friend of ours." Cheered the fattest gargoyle.

"Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, Goofy, these are my best friends. The tallest one is Victor." Quasimodo introduced with a smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet the lot of you."Bowed Victor.

"Yes it truly is. Hey I'm Hugo, the one who gets the most ladies between the two of us." Hugo laughed as he pointed to himself and Victor. "By the way toots… think I could take you out for a drink sometimes."

"I don't think so." I replied with a nervous smile.

"Please forgive him My Lady, but I think all that gluttony has finally gone to that_** emptied **_stone head of his." Victor apologized as he pulled Hugo away from me.

"Oh haha, you prick. Why don't you go scare a nun." Hugo sneered.

"I'm sorry that you have to deal with their stupidity. I'm Laverne. I maybe old, but this spectator has seen a few things in my life time." Smiled the oldest gargoyle.

"Uh… question…?" Sora said as he raised his hand before staring at Laverne, hard. "Are you… a female…?" The curious brunette asked.

"_Oh no."_

"Am I a female…?" Laverne repeated.

"Oh no. Look what you got yourself into kid." Victor warned.

"**Am I a female…?"** She repeated.

"**SHE'S GOING TO BLOW!"** Hugo yelled as he took cover.

"**HOW DARE YOU, YOU LITTLE SHORT PERSON! WHY I OUTTA!"**

"**OUCH! I DIDN'T MEAN TO UPSET YOU! I WAS JUST CURIOUS!" **Sora yelled as he ran for his life from the angry gargoyle.

"You all seem nice. It must've been nice having you guys as friends." Goofy smiled back at the trio.

"It is, but sometimes I wish I had more. It would be nice to have some more friends to live up here with me… or at least come and visit me." Quasimodo confessed.

"And how do you know we won't?" Donald asked.

"Because you guys are outsiders. No one from this world would ever associate themselves with a monster like me." Quasi cried.

"Cheer up old buddy. Come on. The F.O.F. is just starting… let's go watch it like every year." Hugo smiled as he put his hand on Quasi's shoulder.

"The F.O.F.?" Sora asked while rubbing his sore head.

"The Festival of Fools." The trio cheered.

"We watched it every year. It helps in making us not oblivious to what's going on around us." Victor explained.

"Oh~ I love the Festival of Fools." I cheered.

"You've been before?" Donald asked.

"Well no, but it's always been a dream of mine to go." I sighed.

"That's something both you and Quasi over here share." Hugo said.

"You mean… you never been?" I asked before he shook his head. "But, you live here! How could you not go?"

"It's because I am bounded to this tower of Notre Dame by my Master. He has forbidden me from ever leaving this place." The sadden man said.

"But why Quasi?" Donald asked.

"Master Frollo said that it's because I'm not normal." He confessed.

"Nonsense Quasi. You're about as normal as us gargoyles." Laverne tried to comfort.

"Gee… thanks." Quasimodo sulked.

"Ok… bad analogy." Laverne sighed.

"I think what she's trying to say is that you shouldn't let this Frollo guy stop you from doing what you wanna do." I tried to comfort.

"I can't disobey my master." Quasi said.

**GROAN**

Each one of us groaned at Quasimodo's response. _"Man… he's really dedicated to this __**master**__ of his."_

"I got it." Sora grinned as he snapped his fingers. "What if you go in disguise?"

"Hey that's a great idea." I agreed before I used my magic to create a cloak for the man to wear. "With this cloak you'll be able to go to the festival without Frollo recognizing you and enjoy yourself. And when we've had our fill, we'll sneak back into the bell tower and no one would ever know. What do you say?" I cheered.

"I don't know." Quasi replied.

"Oh go on boy. Besides… this maybe your only chance. You don't wanna lose it and spend the rest of your life wondering what if… don't you?" Laverne said.

"You're right. Come on. Let's go to the Festival of Fools!" Quasimodo cheered along with the rest of us.

"Hey, aren't you guys coming too?" Sora asked the retreating trio.

"Nope. Unlike Quasi we were built here." Victor said before he turned into stone.

"I don't think the people would remain calm if they realized that three gargoyles suddenly went missing." Laverne smiled before she turned into stone.

"Yeah. So go ahead and have fun. We'll be here when you get back. But don't worry. I promise I won't spit on any mines." Hugo said as he held his right hand up.

"**EW! SOMEONE JUST SPITE ON ME!"**

"Starting now…" The fat gargoyle smiled before he too turned into stone.

"_Those three are one of a kind."_

…

…

…

The five of us split up and observed what was going on at this wonderful festival. I don't think I had this much fun. The entertainment was so real, unlike the entertainment I was used to. There were puppeteers, music, dancing, drinking, fire jugglers, and street performers… even a mime.

"_God damn that's creepy."_

As I journeyed further around the festival, I felt a set of eyes focus on me. I turned full circle and met the cold eyes of a man dressed in black and purple robes and a hat. His eyes ran over my frame from head to toe, causing nothing but shivers to travel within my body. He smirked and I felt my blood run cold. I had to get away. He had a sinister aura about him that screamed 'I'm the villain of this world'. I had to get away. _"If he's the villain of this world than I'll have to defiantly keep a close eye out for this one…"_

I had barely escaped the lusting eyes only to be towed to the same a stage booth by Quasimodo. "This is where a girl is going to perform. I'm so excited." He cheered.

The excitement and happiness Quasi allowed to leak off of him was intoxicating. With him by my side, I could almost tolerate those eyes directly adjacent to me. The jester introduced the woman, Esmeralda, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving a caramel skinned Gypsy woman in a red dress to stand in his place. In an instant, she started to dance and twirl along with the crowd's cheers and chants. I laughed when Frollo held a look of hatred in his eyes after Esmeralda pulled his hat down and flipped away from him. Her performance was an enjoyable display, more so for the men than for me, but still enjoyable none the less.

Once she finished, the jester started pulling random people out of the crowd so they could judge who would win the King of Fools. I felt a little scared when it was Quasi's turn, but when people sung, danced, and carried him off on his throne, all was going well. I even took part in cheering and dancing until I saw what happened next.

They started to throw stuff, tie him down, spin, humiliate him, and laugh at him. I couldn't let him go through this sort of torture any longer. Just as someone threw a tomato, Quasi closed his eyes while I flipped onto the stage and caught the rotten tomato. _**"ENOUGH!"**_ I growled at the crowd as they gasped. I squeezed the tomato, dropped it, and whipped away some of the juices onto my dress before turning to glare at the crowd. **"I cannot stand by and watch as you torment this poor person any longer. You, man in the purple and black robe and hat. I demand you stop this festival at once!"** I demanded.

"I agree with the girl." I heard a voice call from the crowd before Esmeralda came to stand next to me. "We are all humans, even us Gypsies, contrary to what most of you think." She announced before she knelt down and started to clean Quasimodo off. "I'm sorry. This was _**not**_ how things were supposed to be. I had no idea that people could be so cruel." She apologized.

"**I will ask you again to end this festival!"** I shouted at the old man.

"I will not. That creature needs to know his place in this world. If you are a monster than you shall be treated as such." The man replied.

"**Well then… will you stand in front of your peers and call yourself a monster too… because I don't see anyone else who could be considered one, except for you!"** I snapped.

"**You insolent child! You should know your place!"** The man yelled.

"**I know my place!"** I yelled back as I dismissed my clothing and returned it to back to my normal red and white outfit.** "I AM KE'ANIA! ONE OF THE PRINCESSES OF PURE HEARTS… **_**AND I WILL SLAY YOU!**_**"** I threatened as I summoned both my Keyblades.

"So I was right… You _**are**_ one of them. And what good fortune for me to have two of them right in front of me." He cracked a smile.

"What does he mean?" Quasimodo asked.

"I'll explain later." I whispered.

"**Judge Frollo! How could you claim yourself a God-loving person when you don't even respect or help those who need your help the most, like this man or my people?" **Esmeralda yelled as she stood up.

"Ahhh, so _**your**_ Judge Frollo… Good to know because I have a bone to pick with you. **HOW DARE YOU LOCK QUASIMODO INSIDE THAT TOWER FOR ALL OF HIS LIFE? AND THE ONLY SORRY ASS EXCUSE YOU HAVE TO GIVE HIM IS THAT YOU DID IT TO SAVE HIM BECAUSE HE'S NOT NORMAL OR UNDEFORMED! HE HAS A PURE HEART AND NEVER LOST HIS FAITH, DESPITE EVERYTHING YOU AND **_**YOUR**_** LACKIES HAVE PUT HIM THROUGH! IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO MAKE ME SICK! AND I WILL BE GLAD TO RID YOU OF THIS WORLD WITHOUT A MOMENT'S THOUGHT!"** I exclaimed over the gasping and whispers of the crowd below me.

"**What I do to any of these people is none of your concern child! GUARDS! SEIZE THE GIRLS!"** He commanded as guards charged at us from each side.

"Now let's see… there are one, two, three… ten of them vs. the two of us… Hump… what are we going to do?" Esmeralda sarcastically asked.

"I say we fight." I grinned evilly.

"Yeah, but let's go it in style." She smirked before she disappeared.

I held my ground and watched as three of them charged toward me. Thinking quickly I made a path of ice for the men and their horses to slip and slide into a well before I too disappeared.

"This is witchcraft." The judge said.

"_**Oh but Frollo… you use it too. Or do you call the power of summoning Heartless something else?"**_ I whispered in his ear before I disappeared.

"_**Over here boys." **_Esmeralda and I giggled as we on the Guillotine stage.

"**BRING THEM TO ME!" **Frollo commanded.

"**YOU'LL HAVE TO CATCH US FIRST!"** We teased before running in different directions.

I rolled my eyes and smirked when Esmeralda waved as she sailed away on top of a group of people. _"She's enjoying herself."_ I laughed as I ran past two confused guards. They started to chase me, but looked confused when I stopped. I waved bye-bye as they fell into a deep hole I created. _"Too easy."_

Just as I turned to my right, Esmeralda pulled my on top of a rolling cage. We rolled over three men before we bounced it up and landed it back onto the men. The crowd cheered as we took a bow together. "We make a pretty good team." She smiled.

"I agree." I smiled back before I turned toward Frollo with a glare. _**"Are you ready to meet death?"**_

"No, but I think you might want to do some recalculating little girl." He smirked.

"_Recalculating? But we got everyone… didn't we?"_

"**KE'ANIA!"** Esmeralda screamed before her body went limp and sank to the floor.

"**ESMERALDA!"** I screamed before I felt someone hold me down. **"LET GO!"** I struggled into the ground.

"Take these two to the dungeon and wait further instructions." Frollo told the two guards while dusting himself off.

"_**I will not go quietly."**_ I growled as I threw the guard off of me.

"Guard, please shut her up." Frollo sighed as he turned his head to the side.

I felt a sharp pain hit me hard enough to trigger a fight between me and consciousness. With what little strength I had left, I staggered over to Frollo and clutched his robes weakly. My vision and strength was fading as I stared into the blurry vision of the smirking judge. "Damn you to Hell… you… bastard…" And with that, I slowly slid down his body and onto the cool wooden floor before darkness overtook me.

**Sora's P.O.V.**

Around the time Ke'Ania and Esmeralda were taken away, was when Donald, Goofy, Quasimodo, and I made our escape. It hurt my heart to see Ke'Ania like that, but I knew that we had to make up and save them before the Darkness grabbed them.

"I'm so sorry everyone. The girls were captured because they were trying to help me." Quasi cried as he slunk to the floor.

"It's ok Quasimodo. Nothing was your fault. If anything it was Frollo's fault." I comforted the red haired man.

"What do we do now Sora?" Donald asked.

"_**We rescue the girls of course."**_ A deep voice said.

All four of us gasped as we gazed upon a tall blond haired man straddling his white stead. "Who are you?" Goofy asked with awe in his voice.

"I am Captain Phoebus." He replied as he jumped off the horse.

"He's one of the men that took the girls away!" Quasimodo shouted before he jumped to his feet, readied to fight the man.

"Whoa… I didn't take them away. Besides if I did, don't you think I wouldn't be here trying to help you guys save the girls?" Phoebus said in his defense.

"He has a point, but why help us? Isn't that Frollo guy your boss or something?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"He is not. I was just asked to come here on a silly command. So I figured while I'm here I might as well do something useful." He replied.

"So~ you're doing this because you have nothing else to do?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm doing it to save Esmeralda." Phoebus answered.

"Fair enough. So how do you propose we do it?" I asked while sitting down in front of a tree.

"Well Frollo said that they were taken to the dungeon. Our best bet is to break into there before Judge Frollo, himself, gets down there. But, I haven't been here in twenty years so I don't know where and anything about the dungeons." Phoebus confessed.

"But I do. I'll take you guys down there; we'll snatch up the girls, and make our escape without anyone noticing." Quasi cheered.

"Sounds like a plan. Shall we get started?" Phoebus smirked as we all nodded before racing off.

"_Don't worry Ke'Ania and Esmeralda… we're on our way."_

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

**GROAN**

I groaned as I woke up on a cold and wet stone ground. My head throbbed as I tried to adjust my eyes to the dimly lit room. I looked over to see that Esmeralda was still knocked out. My legs shouted in pain as I tried to stand on them. Before I fell, I gripped the wall as best as I could to hold myself steady. I tried to see if I could find the door, but instead I found the floor.

"Damnit." I grunted to myself before I heard Esmeralda stir. "Are you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah. What about you?" She returned.

"I'm fine. My legs hurt, but I'll push through it." I smirked as I succeed in standing up straight.

"Where are we?" She asked as she started searching the room.

"Frollo made the guards take us to the dungeons." I replied.

"Well, I don't know about you but I don't do well in stone walls." She smirked as her green eyes locked with my green-yellow ones.

"Agreed. We need to get out of here. There is a guard outside. I think if we can get past him and find our way out of here, then everything will be alright." I suggested.

"That's very smart of you. I think we could be good friends since we work together so well." She smiled as she came closer to me.

"We will. Once we get out of here." I replied before whispering my plan to here.

…

…

…

"You ready?" I asked my partner before she nodded.

I let my body gently fall to the floor before Esmeralda banged on the door. **"SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!"**

"**WHAT'S WRONG?"** Questioned a guard.

"**I THINK MY CELL MATE IS DEAD! SHE HAS YET TO MOVE! PLEASE COME IN HERE AT SEE!"** She screamed as she stepped away from the door.

A guard came rushing in and tried to shake me, but when I wouldn't move he started to panic. **"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"** He asked Esmeralda with his hands on her shoulders.

While she was trying to explain I got up and performed an ice spell to freeze the frantic man in his place. "Why don't you cool down for a while." I giggled.

"You think he's going to die?" Esmeralda asked while flicking the ice cube surrounding the man.

"Probably." I shrugged.

"Nice." She replied.

"Let's go. More guards should be coming any minute since they probably heard you guys' screams." I said. She nodded and we ran out of the room.

We ran, hid, and dodged some of the guards in our attempt to escape from our prison. My shoes, socks, her feet, and bottom part of her dress were soaked as we ran through water that flowed through prison. We didn't have time to worry if the water was clean. All we could think about was escaping. "Oh no." I gasped as we were meat by a group of angry soldiers.

"_**Did you think you girls could get away from us?"**_ Asked a guard.

"_**We'll show you."**_ Threatened another guard.

We tried to turn around, but there were guards blocking our escape paths. "Ok it looks like we're out numbered again." Esmeralda sighed as she stood on my left side.

"Ready to fight?" I asked her while getting into my fight stance.

"I was born ready, but do you think we can take on this many guards?" She asked.

"Well, I'm used to fight Heartless, but never this many. But none the less… It'll be just as fun and annoying." I replied before rushing a group of guards in front of me.

**Normal P.O.V.**

The guys moved quickly through the underground church prison as they searched for the girls. It wasn't until about thirty minutes, after entering the prison, did they come across a frozen soldier.

"They were here?" Quasimodo asked.

"Yep. Ke'Ania is the only one who could've frozen this solider. So that means that, not only were they alive and kicking, but that they escaped and fled that way." Sora cheered as he led the men to where the girl might be.

"**WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"** Asked a gang of soldiers.

"Damn. They caught up to us." Phoebus cursed as he drew his sword.

"**SAY NIGHTY NIGHT BOYS!"** They heard Ke'Ania laugh from down the tunnel behind the line of men.

"Come on! If we fight through them we'll eventually reach the girls!" Sora cheered as he drew his Keyblade.

Both groups ran toward each other with battle cries. Sora took out the first three with one swing of his weapon before Donald hopped over him and casted fire on the next five. Goofy twirled around, effectually making a pathway while throwing countless soldiers into the wall. Quasimodo used his strength to head butt and throw each of his opponents with each other. Phoebus used his sword to clash and chop away at his enemies.

On the opposite side of the long line of guards, Ke'Ania and Esmeralda were getting tired. Two against a bunch of soldiers and guards were not good for them, but when they heard the shouts and cries of the men they kept going. Esmeralda twirled around while using her legs to kick and her scarf to smash each of her opponents into each other. Ke'Ania on the other hand grew tired of the relentlessness of her opponents, so she used her water and lightning powers to flow them into both her blades before throwing them and causing a decreasing number of her opponents. When both her blades returned, Ke'Ania sucked in as much air as she could before blowing it back out and freezing most of the guards and soldiers before throwing her Keyblades into the air before kicking both of them into the center of the men, shattering each frozen body. She then jumped to the top of the ceiling off the tunnels and used her magic to set fire to about ten bodies in her sights. By time the men's bodies hit the water, they were already dead.

Each group could hold their own, despite the tiredness they felt. It wasn't long before Ke'Ania and Sora felt their backs touching while still in their fighting stances. "I'm glad you're alright Ke'Ania." Sora said as he cocked his head to see her over his shoulders.

"What, you think I'd let these weaklings kill me?" Ke'Ania smirked.

"I'm glad they didn't. I would've went crazy on their asses had I known that they did something to you." Sora smiled.

"You're such an avenger." She smiled.

"**QUASIMODO!"** Esmeralda cheered as she ran to hug her friend.

"Oh what you forgot me?" Phoebus asked.

"Of course I didn't Captain Phoebus. How could I? After all… this is your second time saving my Gypsy butt." She smirked.

"_**Isn't this touching."**_ The group turned to see Judge Frollo standing there.

"_**Frollo…"**_ Ke'Ania growled.

"I still can't believe that a _**Gypsy**_ and a _**demon**_ are actually worthy enough to be Pure Heart Princess." The judge said as he stepped closer.

"_**WHY DON'T YOU COME OVER HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE BASTARD!"**_ Ke'Ania hissed.

"I'd rather let my army do the talking." Frollo smirked as he snapped his fingers and summoned a gang of Heartlesses.

"You've got to be kidding me." Donald groaned as he fell on his knees.

"Well since I pity you _**people**_ how about I make you a proposition. Ke'Ania and Esmeralda can stay here and become my wives without punishment, or else I'll hand the both of you over to the Darkness faster than you can blink." Frollo suggested.

"_**HOW DARE YOU! WE WOULD RATHER DIE THAN EVEN CONSIDER A PROPOSITION LIKE THAT, YOU HYPOCRITICAL POLITICIAN!"**_ Ke'Ania roared as Esmeralda nodded.

"Very well… I tried to be nice and all I got was back talk." Sighed the judge as he snapped his fingers before he blew a harsh wind at our large of heroes. Everyone tried to hold strong against the wind, but unfortunately Esmeralda wasn't so lucky and got blown into the dark hole. Not thinking, Ke'Ania ran after her, but by time she got there, the hole was gone… and so was the princess. In a fit of rage, Ke'Ania punched the wall, not caring that blood leaked from her knuckles as tears spilled from her gray eyes. "Oh fudge… I only got one. No matter… I'll just try again." Frollo said before he tried again, but screamed in pain when his two fingers were suddenly sliced off.

"_**FROLLO!"**_ Ke'Ania roared before she gripped the wall and turned her head to look at the man who caused everything bad in this world to happen with reddish silver deadly eyes. Everyone who saw her eyes and face were practically frozen with fear. _**"I never knew you could sink so low, but then again I've been wrong before."**_ She said before she started walking toward said man. _**"You deserve no mercy, but like you said that's natural demon behavior. So, guess what that means you prick… If you want to see what a true demon is like… THEN ALLOW ME TO SHOW YOU! THESE TUNNELS SHALL BE YOUR TOMB AS I RIP YOU APART!" **_She screamed as she continued to walk toward said man.

At this point, Frollo was scared for his life. "Heartless… go forth and stop that demon of a girl! Protect me!" Trembled the judge.

"_**I DON'T THINK SO!"**_ Ke'Ania yelled as she slammed her hands into the water and used her magic to create a tidal wave which she road over all the Heartless that stood in her way. No Heartless was left standing when Ke'Ania dismissed her wave of destruction. Frollo was far too frightened to even think of summoning anymore Heartless. _**"YOUR TIME HAS COME!"**_ She announced as she stuck both her Keyblades into him before using her fire powers to make his body explode. Blooded covered the walls and Ke'Ania's face, clothes, skin, and hair, but it didn't matter to her.

Once everything calmed down and her Keyblades were gone, she fell to the floor and silently cried to herself through blue irises. Everyone watch this and it made them sad too. When Phoebus looked down, he saw Esmeralda's scarf, she used to fight with, glowing. Right as soon as he picked it up, it started to float into the air. Sora did what he needed to do in order to seal the keyhole before he placed his hand on Ke'Ania's shoulder.

"I'm going back to the ship." Ke'Ania almost whispered with her head down as she slowly walked to her destination, leaving confused people in her wake.

…

…

…

When she arrived home, Ke'Ania did nothing except drag herself into her room, stripping her clothes along the way. She hopped into the shower and let the hot water run in her hair and on her body and mixing with her still falling tears. _**"WHY THE FUCK IS THIS SO DAMN HARD?"**_ She screamed in her head before as slide to the bottom of the tube and watched as the hot water, her tears, and dried blood run into the drain.


	15. Helping Us Alone

**Chapter 13: Helping Us Along**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

I awoke with a massive headache the next morning, or should I say afternoon. Looking down I saw that my hair was damp and placed in a lose ponytail. My clothes were just me in a gray tank top and sky blue short shorts. _"Strange… I don't remember changing…"_

It was around one o'clock when I slowly propped myself onto my elbows. I just laid there… not really looking at anything… just thinking… _"What am I doing here? What's the point of being chosen to protect these people if I can't even save a princess from being captured? Am I really that weak? Was it just coincidence that I was blown back into that dark hole? Was I even supposed to be here in the first place?"_ I couldn't help but question myself. I was so unsure of my purpose. I felt as though this was all a mistake from the very beginning.

"**Would you stop doubting yourself? God damn it! You're one big migraine after another!"** Entée shouted at me.

"_Entée?"_

"**Naw, it's the fucking Tooth Fairy. OF COURSE IT'S ME, YOU TWIT!"**

"_I thought you left?"_

"**I did! But when I felt you doubting yourself, **_**I**_** took some time off to come an find your sorry ass!"**

"_Although I would __**usually**__ be excited to hear from you… I don't have time for this."_

"**WHO THE HELL GAVE YOU THE POWER TO BRUSH ME OFF LIKE SOME INSECT? YOU BETTER MAKE TIME FOR ME BECAUSE **_**APPARENTLY **_**YOU NEED A FUCKIN PEP TALK!"** She yelled inside of my head.

"_Not now fur ball. I'm not in the mood."_ I groaned as I rolled over onto my right side and pulled the covers over my head.

"**Well too damn bad! You are going to listen to everything I have to say rather you like it or not!"** My demon yelled at me.

I sighed before rolling over and lying on my back. _"Alright girl, you have my full attention. What is it?"_

"**Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are a warrior, a protector, a princess, a woman charged with an important duty to both the universe and to the people who you've come to known. How do you expect to fulfill your destiny if you keep sulking all the time? It's beyond pathetic! You're my vessel! I expect so much out of you and yet you give me hell and shit in return! I was wrong about you, you're not strong at all… your just a bitch who can't even get up when she was the one who knocked herself down. You're sad Ke'Ania… truly sad… Maybe all those kids and adults were right about you… You're just a monster who can't do anything by herself."** Entée sighed.

The blood in my system started to boil. My inhibiter was really starting to piss me off. _**"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT? DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH?"**_ I growled as I sat up.

"**You obviously. Face it Ke'Ania… Everything you and I have said is true isn't it."** She smirked.

"_**NO IT'S NOT!"**_ I yelled back.

"**Then prove it! Show me in the next world why you were chosen to be everything everyone expects of you. Show me that I'm not protecting someone who needs me to hold her hand the whole way through. Show me why **_**EVERYONE**_** should memorize and respect the name Ke'Ania! Prove me and **_**those**____**people**_** wrong. Make a believer out of me. But most importantly… make a believer out of yourself."** Entée challenged.

My eyes were still red as I let her words sink into my brain. _"I will show __**EVERYONE**__ who I am and what I've become! I will make believers out of everyone… including myself!_ I sneered.

"**That's my girl. Now go and talk to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They're really worried about you."** She smiled.

"_Thanks Entée. You're the best demon a girl could have."_ I lightly smiled.

"**I do what I can."** The demon smirked before allowing her voice to fade back into the caverns of my mind.

I ripped the covers from my body and literally jumped out of bed. _"Today is the day I stop with the self-pity and start with the self-improving."_ I smiled. I looked in the mirror and saw that my red eyes have change to yellow. I combed through my lightly tangled hair and used my fire powers to blow dry my hair.

I raced to my door with a smile on my face, but stopped when I heard my teammates talking outside in muffled voices.

"I'm worried." Donald expressed.

"Me too. Should we check on her?" Goofy asked.

"Naw. We should let her rest." Sora sighed. "I think the best thing is to leave her alone with her thoughts."

"I wonder what was up with her yesterday." Donald questioned.

"Yeah… she looked so scary… I thought I'd wet myself." Goofy confessed.

"You did wet yourself Goofy." Donald squawked.

"Huh? Oh yeah." Goofy laughed.

I laughed too as I pressed harder against the door.

"Guys, be serious for a second." I heard Sora sigh. "Ke'Ania has a lot on her mind right now. I don't know what it is, but it has to be a lot to get her break down like that yesterday. I just… I just hope she's alright…"

"Don't worry Sora. She'll be just fine." Goofy comforted.

"Goofy's right. Ke'Ania is the strongest girl I know. She'll be just fine in the end." Donald said.

My smile wasn't as big as before and my eyes weren't yellow, they were green. I felt like I wanted to cry tears of joy, but decided against it. _"Was I too blind to see that everything I needed was directly in front of me?"_

"**Yes."** Entée replied, but I chose to ignore and continued to listen to their conversation.

"You guys are right. Besides… we'll be with her every step of the way." I felt Sora smile from those words.

"_He's right… He's always right."_ I slowly turned the door knob until I heard a click.

"Oh shit here she comes. Don't anybody upset her. Act natural." Sora whispered, causing me to smirk.

I slowly opened the door with a smiled and walked out. The cold metal floor of the Gummi Ship was nice against my bare feet. "Hey guys…" I shyly said.

"How are you feeling?" Goofy asked as he stepped closer.

Without hesitation, I quickly warped my arms around each male and pulled them into my body.

"Ke'Ania…?" Sora was about to ask.

"Thank you… all of you… I'm so glad that I have friends like you three." I whispered. They didn't know what to do at first, but they eventually hugged me back. We stayed like this for a few more seconds before I pulled apart with a shit eating grin on my face. "So what are we standing around here for? First we eat, and then onto the next world we go!" I cheered along with the others.

"Yay! Ke'Ania's going to make us lunch!" Donald and Goofy cheered as they raced into the kitchen.

"It's good to have you back Ke'Ania." Sora smiled while gently placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Good to be back Sora… It's good to be back…" I whispered while placing my hand over his.

…

…

…

It was hours later when we finally landed in this new world. The world, from what Donald told us, was named Vanity Village. _"I can see why."_ When we strolled into the square of the village, all the girls were practically glued to a mirror or fixing their dresses and hair so that they could draw the attention of any men that passed their way. "I hate it here." I groaned as I folded my arms under my breasts.

"Yeah us too." The three men agreed.

"Ok look." I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "How about we split into two groups, hurry up and find the princess, kick the villain's ass, seal the keyhole, and get the hell out. I'm getting a nasty headache from just the sight of this place."

"Agreed. Ok, Ke'Ania and Goofy will find the princess, while Sora and I search for the villain." Donald suggested.

"Sounds good, but first…" I waved my fingers and turned Donald and Goofy into their animal forms. "There you go. Now people won't be too drawn to us. Sora and I will definitely get looks because our clothing isn't from this world, but we won't get as many if you guys are in your animal forms." I explained. We all turned our heads to a flapping squawking Donald. "You know you can still speak right?"

**Cough**

"I know. I just had a fly in my throat." The Duck said. "Now let's move out."

…

…

…

"Ugh. This is so frustrating." I hissed.

"You haven't picked up **anything** yet?" Goofy asked me.

"Nothing. We've been at this for hours and yet there's no sign of her anywhere." I sighed.

"Should we take a break?"

"No. We have to continue on. She could be in danger right now. We _**have**_ to find her." I said.

"How do you know if she even is still here?" Goofy asked.

"It's complicated. I can sense if a princess is still within the confinement of the world, but I can't tell if she's in danger or her location until I get close enough, which doesn't really help us much."

"Why not?"

"Because my pinpointing range isn't long or wide enough. I can only pinpoint a princess within a ten feet radius." I explained.

"Damn. So what are we going to do now Ke'Ania?" Goofy whimpered as he rubbed his silky head against my leg.

I used my fingers to scratch the top of his head before speaking. "I don't know Goofy. I just don't know."

…

…

…

There was silence between us as we continued to walk down the village's dirt covered road. I hung my head low. I wasn't tired, but I was disappointed. Another hour passed and we still didn't find anything. "Ke'Ania! Watch out!" Goofy barked, but it was too late.

By time I had looked up, I had bumped into a tall gray haired woman wearing a green dress. Both the woman and I fell onto the ground with a thud. Realizing what I had done, I quickly got up and offered my hand to her. "I'm so sorry miss. Here let me help you." I said.

"Ah! Keep your filthy self away from me." She yelled as she smacked my hand away.

I gasped in pain when a light shock ran down my spine from my hand. Actually focusing on her, I started to feel evil radiate off of her. _"Is she the villain?"_

"Ugh. Now look what you did! You've gone and got my dress all dirty. Child! What is your name?" She asked.

"Ke'Ania." I replied.

"Well then Ke'Ania, come on. You're coming with me." She ordered as she pulled me along with her.

"Where… are… we… going…?" I struggled out as more shocks ran down my spine.

"You're coming home with me. You will pay for the getting my dress dirty with labor." She hissed at me.

"_Oh joy…"_

…

…

…

The minute we step into her huge house, she immediately made me replace my clothes with rags and had put me to work. "Now as for your punishment… you will sweep the pantry, do the laundry, clean the bathrooms and _**all**_ the rooms except for the tower, and finish your day of by tending to the garden. Get to it now and I _**might**_ consider feeding you." She laughed as she stalked off in her new purple dress.

"You're not really going to do all that… are you Ke'Ania?" Goofy asked me.

"The only reason I'm actually staying here is because not only is the villain here… but so is the princess." I smirked.

"Are you sure that the villain is that mean old lady?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah. Every time she touches me, shockwaves are sent throughout my body. I can still feel the after effects from her venomous grip. Come on Goofy… let's get to work. But while I'm working, keep a close eye on that woman… she maybe a villain, but she also holds way too many secrets for my liking." I almost whispered as I strolled off to the first room to begin my cleaning.

…

…

…

It wasn't long before I came to a regular wooden door that looked like it led to a tower. "Ke'Ania… what do you think is up there?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know boy, but I do know this… something pure is behind here." I mumbled as I ran my fingers over the unsanded wood.

"The princess?"

"I think so Goofy." I replied.

"You can't tell?"

"Remember I told you my pinpoint senses only work within a ten feet radius? Well I didn't lie, but I didn't tell the truth either." I confessed.

"What do you mean?"

"To put it simple. My pinpoint senses will _**only**_ tell me if the princess is alive and is within a general area, but it won't tell me exactly where the pure heart person is. I have to rely on my eyes for that." I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "Come on." I slowly opened and shut the door after Goofy entered. I used my fire magic to make a little light. There were a lot of winding stairs. My legs held a painful burning sensation in them. Each stepped seemed longer than the last. When we finally reached the door, both Goofy and I fell onto the cool wooden steps in exhaustion.

"I can't go on… Make it stop Ke'Ania." Goofy whined.

"We can do it Goofy. The door's right there." I panted as I tried to reach for the door. "Ok well… that door is currently unreachable right now, but give me some food, a nap, and a pop and I'll open it… in a few hours."

"Wait Ke'Ania…" Goofy suddenly said as his head shot up. I watched as he pressed his ear and body to the door. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Someone is singing. It's the princess, I think." Goofy cheered.

"Really?" I said as I copied him. Right behind the door I heard a beautiful voice singing.

With all the pressure on the door, the door was accidentally pushed opened before Goofy and I toppled over each other and back onto the floor.

"Oh my." Gasped a girl.

I lifted my head to see a blond sitting on her bed. Her hair was in two ponytails while her body was covered by a long sky blue night gown. "Hiya." I nervously laughed.

"Are you two alright?" She asked.

"Yes we're fine. I'm sorry about your door and possibly waking you." I grunted as I stood up with her help.

"It's quite alright. I had to get up anyway…" She sighed.

She walked over to the window and leaned onto her stone windowsill with her head titled to the side and a sad expression on her face. _"She sounds and looks so depressed. But then again I would be too if I had to sleep in a small room within a tower. I wonder why she sleeps here anyway."_ I cleared my throat before smiling at the princess. "My name is Ke'Ania, by the way."

"Please to meet you. My name is Cinderella." The blond smiled.

"Nice to meet you Cinderella. The name's Goofy."

"You talk?" Gasped the girl.

"Goofy you aren't supposed to talk in front of people from this world." I scolded my partner.

"It's quite alright. I'm used to talking animals anyway." She smiled.

"Really? Like who?" I asked.

"Why my animal friends, of course." Cinderella said as she pointed toward her window where birds and mice, dressed in little clothing, stood.

"Do they actually talk?" I asked while walking over to them.

"Only the mice, but I've come to understand the tweeting of the birds." Cinderella confessed. I was excited when the birds and mice took a liking to me right off the back. They were all so cute, contrary to what others might think. We all jumped when a clock rung, loudly, throughout the entire village. "Oh that damn clock. Always waking me from my dreams. And I was having such a good dream today too." Cinderella huffed.

"What was your dream about Cinderelly?" Asked Jaq, a mouse dressed in an orange jacket and red hat.

"You shouldn't ask people what their dreams are like." I scolded Jaq. "A dream is like a gateway that leads to the soul and heart of a person."

"And not only that but… _**A dream is a wish… your heart makes…**_"Cinderella sung as she undid the brains in her hair.

I watched as the princess sung and twirled while her animal friends helped her get ready for the day. _"It's just like me and the magic mops. You know, minus the twirling and singing."_ She finished her song just as she tied a sky blue ribbon in her hair. I was about to ask her a question, but stopped when Jaq and another skinny mouse came running in. By the way they were scurrying I could tell that there had to be trouble. _"Wait… when did they leave?"_

"Ok. Ok. One at a time, now tell me what's the matter." Cinderella said.

"There's a mouse that we've never seen before in the house! He's trapped in a trap! Trapped like a rat!" Jaq explained while panting.

"He's in a trap? Then we have to hurry!" Cinderella responded as Jaq, she, and I raced down the stairs.

An old fashion mouse trap was holding the frightened little mouse inside. "Don't be afraid, little one. I'm here to help you. Jaq, would you please help calm him down please?" The blond pleaded. I watched as Jaq calmed and befriended the newcomer. A little hesitant at first, the new addition cautiously stepped out of the cage and scooted towards us. "Now what should we call you? Oh I know… what about Gus? It's a tough name for such a tough mouse." We laughed.

"I think it's perfect. You're the cutest mouse I've ever seen." I smiled through green eyes. Jaq turned to me before clearing his throat. "But Jaq's the handsomest mouse I've ever met."

…

…

…

After returning to Cinderella's room, Gus was dressed in a shirt, shoes, and a hat before chatting and socializing with the other mice and birds. "He seems to be getting a long great." I smirked as I stood next to the princess.

"I'm glad. It usually takes longer, but he seems to really click with everyone… especially Jaq." The blond commented. "Come on. We have chores to do, right?"

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Well for one thing you guys aren't from this world… I know that much and plus my step-mother would never bring in another pretty girl without making her into a slave… just like me." Cinderella sighed.

"Yeah, what's the history behind that anyway?"

"Well you see, my Mother died when I was young. My Father basically spoiled me, but thought it would be better if I had a mother too. So he remarried to Lady Tremaine, my step-mother. It wasn't until my Father had died that she started to show her true colors and began to treat me like a slave. And it was all because my beauty outshined that of my two awkward step-sisters, Anastasia and Drizella. That's the way I've been living up here ever since I was a child." Cinderella confessed, trying to hold back tears. "Come on. It's time to get started." She smiled as I nodded. "Ok you guys, we're leaving… Jaq, watch over Gus and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. Oh and don't for get to tell him about Lucifer."

"Lucifer?" Goofy and I asked together.

"My step-mother's prized cat. He's basically the cat version of her. " The princess huffed.

"Well then he must be nasty. Goofy, your mission is to protect Cinderella's animal friends while also trying to find out information on Lady Tremaine and her cat. If Cinderella is right about the cat, then we just may have to watch out for him too. Think you can handle that boy?" I smiled while scratching his head.

"You can count on me Ke'Ania." He relied while using his right ear to salute.

Cinderella and I left her room and slowly walked downstairs and into the huge house. I would throw quick glances at the blond princess. Questions of all kind started to dance in my head, but there was one I just had to know the answer to. "Cinderella… how much do you know? You know, about the worlds and the darkness." I asked.

"Well I don't know much. My step-mother doesn't really keep me informed too much, but I do tend to listen in on her conversations whenever some of her fellow villains would stop by. From what I've gathered, I'm one of the princesses that they need and also… it looks like you and the others are causing quite the stir up with them." She informed.

"Well it looks like I really don't need to catch you up on anything. But something's been bothering me ever since I found out that Lady Tremaine is the villain and you're one of the Pure Heart Princesses…" I said as I bit my thumb.

"What's that Ke'Ania?"

"… If you're one of the princesses… then why hasn't she already turned you over to the darkness?" I thought out loud.

"I've been wondering the same thing. Do you think she's just toying with us?" Cinderella asked.

"I don't know, but now that she has both of us trapped within these walls… we need to be extra careful." I said.

"Well let's take it one step at a time…"

"Which is…?" I asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Waking and feeding the cat..." Cinderella grumbled.

…

…

…

We re-entered the miniature castle like house through the same door Goofy and I used. I quietly shut the door as Cinderella opened the curtains. I never got a chance to look at the inside of this prison-castle because it was so dark, but now that there is light… _"I have to admit that the inside is wonderfully decorated. I guess the old witch does have __**some**__ good tastes."_ I started to giggle when I heard loud snoring coming from the two doors across from the giant window. "Is that your step-sisters snoring?" I asked while still giggling.

"Yep. I told you that they were awkward." She giggled too. She slowly opened the door to an even darker room. Inside a queen sized bed with a canopy was lightly made, but looking closer I noticed a black and gray fat cat laying on top of a mini white and purple bed. "That's Lucifer. He gets treated the best around here because _**he**_ _**is**_ the treasure of this _**family**_." She whispered in a sarcastic voice. "Come here boy. Come here." She beckoned to the cat. But the lazy cat just glared at us and moved so only his butt and tail was facing us. "Lucifer! Come here right now!" She yelled in a whisper.

Finally the stubborn cat rolled off the bed and joined us with his nose and butt in the air. "Is he always this snotty?" I asked while glaring at the feline. _"Usually I love cats, but when it comes to cats like Lucifer… they get added to the list of personalities I hate."_

Cinderella rolled her eyes before smirking. "Do I really have to reply to that?"

"No. I already know." I smirked as we followed the pussy cat down another set of stairs and into the kitchen.

…

…

…

"So what _**are**_ your chores? If you don't mind me asking?" I asked as I leaned over the kitchen counter.

"_**She does whatever I tell her to."**_ A venomous voice hissed.

Both Cinderella and I turned our heads to see Lady Tremaine in the kitchen's door frame. "Step-mother?" Cinderella gasped.

"I see you two have become good friends." She smiled wickedly.

"Well we~" Cinderella started.

"**SILENCE!"** Yelled the witch. "Well since you guys are so chummy… why don't the both of you do the same chores _**together**_." She snickered. "And if you do the math right… you know, _**all**_ of Cinderella's chores plus the ones I've given you… equals _**a lot**_ of tasks for the two of you. Oh and by the way… they _**all**_ have to be done by the end of today. Cinderella, prepare my tea right now." She ordered. I watched as Cinderella quickly did what she was told before handing the tray to her master. "You've always been the girl I can rely on, _**Cinderella**_." She smirked.

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth as I watched the bitch leave. _**"She won't get away with this." **_I growled.

"Let it go Ke'Ania." Cinderella sighed. Her head was down and her eyes seemed dull and hurt.

"But~"

"There's nothing we can do about it except work." She replied while putting a log on the stove.

"… I'm sorry Cinderella." I mumbled.

"It's alright. Come on, you can help me feed the animals." She said as she forced a smile.

**Whimpering**

"Oh good morning Bruno. How did you sleep last night boy?" She smiled at the dog as he came from behind the counter.

"Bruno?"

"Yeah. He's my dog who's been with me ever since I was a little girl." She explained.

**Growling and Hissing**

"Lucifer! Bruno! Stop that right now!" She commanded with her hands on her hips. "Honestly! You two _**have**_ to learn to get along!" She groaned as she got the food for both animals. "Lucifer, you will drink your milk in here. And Bruno, you'll come with Ke'Ania and I. Now let's go." She commanded the dog.

…

…

…

Once we finished feeding the animals and rescuing the mice from Lucifer's wrath, the bells started ringing. **"CINDERELLA! CINDERELLA! CINDERELLA!"**

"Oh my God! Will they shut the hell up?" I yelled as I clutched my sensitive pointy demon ears. _"Even though she continuously shouts that she's coming, the bells never stop. Ugh… I could not do this."_

"It's like this every morning, noon, and night." Cinderella sighed as she quickly got two trays ready.

I took one of the trays before we headed upstairs. "Cinderella… why don't you just leave?" I asked, causing her to stop in her tracks.

"Because I have nowhere else to go… This place is all I know. Sure I would love to get away but… I wouldn't know what to do afterwards…" She whispered before walking into the first room.

The room was dark with a full sized bed in front of the east wall. "Good morning Drizella. How did you sleep?" Cinderella asked as she handed the dark haired girl the tray.

"As if you care." Sneered the girl.

"_Witch."_ I snorted under my breath.

"Who's this bitch?" She asked, glaring at me.

"_Official upgrade to bitch!" _I mentally hissed. _**"Why you~"**_ I started to shake with anger, but stopped when Cinderella put an arm in front of me.

"She's my new friend, Ke'Ania." Cinderella defended.

"Oh? Well I guess I'll just have to tell Mother~" _**Drizella **_started.

"She already knows. In fact, she'll be helping me with my chores." Cinderella informed.

"Hn, whatever. Just make sure you keep her in line, or else _**you'll**_ be the one in trouble." Smirked the girl.

"Yes Drizella." Mumbled the slave.

"Cinderella…" I mumbled.

"Anyway… I don't want you or your _**friend's**_ scent to fill my bedroom air anymore than it already has." She got up and threw a basket at the princess. "Have all that stuff ironed, folded, and brought back to me within one hour! You hear me? **ONE HOUR!**" She yelled as we exited the room.

"Yes ma'am." Cinderella mumbled.

My fist was clenched and my body tightened, but I relaxed when Cinderella placed one hand on my shoulder. "Relax Ke'Ania. We only have to see Anastasia and then it'll just be you and me." She smiled before escorting me into the next room. When we entered in the next room, I almost gagged from the overuse of cheap and undeveloped perfume. "Good morning Anastasia." Cinderella sung.

"Well it's about time." Huffed the red head as she snatched the tray from Cinderella's hand. She sipped her tea before glaring at me from behind the cup. "Who's the darkly tanned bitch? A friend of yours? Haha, you don't have any friends so she must be another one of Mother's maids." The ugly girl laughed uncontrollably before putting on a serious face. "Does Mother know?"

"Of course." Cinderella confirmed.

"Well bitch~"

"_**It's Ke'Ania."**_ I growled.

"Doesn't matter. Anyway Cinderella, don't worry. I wasn't going to tell on you… you're not worth the effort." Hissed the bitch. "Here's the things that need to be mended. Get to them quickly and don't be all day, _**slaves**_." _**Anastasia**_ smirked before shooing us out of her room.

Cinderella sighed before she pushed off the door. "Ready?" She forced another smile on her face.

I nodded and soon we were on our way. The whole time I would steal glances at the poor girl as we worked. The sadness and abuse showed plainly on her face. _"Cinderella deservers better than this."_

…

…

…

**Giggling**

Cinderella and I could hardly contain our laughter when we heard Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb _**trying **_to sing and play the flute upstairs. "They really are tone-deaf, huh?" I laughed as Cinderella nodded. "Do they do this every day?" I asked.

"_**Every day**_." She replied.

We continued to laugh as we scrubbed the floors. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. _**"Open up in the name of the King!"**_

Cinderella opened the door and accepted a letter from the massager before closing it. "What is it?" I asked.

"I don't know, but if it's from the King, than it must be important. Come on. We have to give _**them**_ the letter." She said as we walked up the stairs.

**Knock Knock**

"**WHAT DO THE **_**TWO**_** OF YOU WANT?"** Yelled Lady Tremaine.

"I'm sorry step-mother, but a letter just came from the palace~" Cinderella started, but was interrupted by the fighting over the letter.

"**GIRLS! **I will read the note." Sighed the gray haired women. "According to this… there's going to be a ball in the Prince's honor tonight! Every available woman is required to attend by order of the King himself."

"A ball? Oh joy! Mother! We must get ready right away!" Cheered the two daughters.

"Oh step-mother may we please go to the ball?" Cinderella asked.

"_**You**_? Why should I let you two go? You don't have dresses and plus you have too much work to do. How are you ever going to finish in time for the ball?" The witch started to laugh along her twins.

"What if we can?" I spoke out over the roaring laughter.

"What do you mean?" Asked Lady Tremaine.

"Let's make a deal… If Cinderella and I can finish our chores and get ready before the ball, then you _**have **_to let us go. Deal?" I offered my hand.

"Deal. And might I add… Good luck to you." She smirked as she grasped my hand.

I had to tear it away before the pain became too unbearable for me to handle. "Come on Cinderella. We have work to do." I said as we exited the room.

"Do you really think we can finish in time?" Cinderella asked.

"Of course. They're going to try and distract us, but as long as we stay focused and keep our goal in mind then we'll be alright. Come on. There's not that much left anyway." I smiled as we set out for our jobs. _"If there's going to be a ball, then Sora might be there. I think it's time for some regrouping."_

…

…

…

We had finally finished all of our chores and now the only thing left is to make our dresses. Cinderella went to a trunk and pulled out an old fashion, but beautiful white and pink dress. "Whoa… that's so cute." I cooed.

"Thank you. It belonged to my Mother, but it's too old fashioned. I'm going to have to make some alterations so it can look like this dress right here." She smiled as she showed me a picture of an even cuter dress. "By the way, what are you going to wear Ke'Ania? I don't have another dress for you to wear or anymore fabric for you to use."

"Don't worry about me. I wasn't planning on going to the ball to dance anyway. I need to go for other reasons, but I mostly want you to go and finally feel like the princess that you are." I confessed.

"You sure?" She asked. I nodded, but gasped when she hugged me. "Oh thank you Ke'Ania." She whispered.

"**CINDERELLA!"** Whined the sisters.

"Oh now what do they want?" Cinderella yelled. "Well, looks like I've have to fix my dress later." She sighed.

"**CINDERELLA!"**

"**I'M COMING!" **Cinderella yelled back as she left the room.

"Poor Cinderella…" I mumbled.

"Yeah poor Cinderelly." Jaq sighed.

"**CINDERELLA!"**

"Oh~ Cinderelly this, and Cinderelly that. _**Every time she finds a minute… that's the time that they begin it.**_ _**Cinderelly, Cinderelly~"**_ Jaq started to sing.

"**CINDERELLA!" **The sisters cried again.

"_**Cinderelly. Cinderelly. Night and day it's Cinderelly. Make the fire, make some breakfast, wash the dishes, do the moppin',"**_ Jaq mocked as he sung.

"_**And the sweepin, and the dustin. They always keep her huffin." **_Sung the girl mice.

"_**She'd go around in circles until she's very, very dizzy, and yet they still hollar."**_ Jaq sung.

"_**Keep her busy. Cinderelly."**_ Sung the girls before they sighed.

"I know you guys it's very, very sad. She doesn't need this." I sighed as I sat on the edge of the trunk.

"But what can we do? Gus-Gus want Cinderelly to go, but she no get dress done in time. Makes Gus-Gus very sad." Gus sighed.

"Hey!" Yelled a female mouse. "Why don't we fix it for her?" She suggested.

"You little guys can do that?" I asked.

"Of course. Cinderelly taught us and it's really not that hard if you know what you're doing." The girl smiled.

"That's wonderful. I would~" But stopped when a headache started to form.

"**KE'ANIA!"**

"_**What the hell do they want?"**_ I yelled as I stood up. "Well looks like I've been summoned again. Ok you guys, it's up to you to finish Cinderella's dress. Good luck. Goofy you know what to do. And don't get caught." I commanded as I strolled to the door.

"You can count on my Ke'Ania." Goofy saluted.

"**KE'ANIA!"** The devil-spawn called again.

"**I'M COMING!"** I shouted back before throwing the door open. "Oh, by the way… did you find anything Goofy?"

"Nothing yet, but she hasn't really moved all day. We'll still keep an eye out for any information though." Goofy replied.

"Good boy." I smiled.

"**KE'ANIA!"**

"_**I swear to God… if they call my name one more time…"**_ I decided not to finish my sentence as I stomped down the stairs.

…

…

…

Every time we finished a chore, those witches would throw another at us. When we finally finished, the sun had set and I felt so bad. I promised Cinderella that she would be able to go, but we failed. "I'm sorry Cinderella." I whispered through blue eyes.

"It's quite alright. There's always another chance I can go to the next one." She forced another smile.

"That's right child." Said the evil step-mother. "I'm terribly sorry you couldn't go, but while I'm there I'll be wishing you were there the whole time." She smirked.

My glare intensified, but was dismissed when Cinderella left. "Good night everyone. I'm off to bed. By the way, your carriage is out there." She mumbled.

When we got to her room, it was dark, so I used my fire magic to light the way. Cinderella collapsed on her bed and started to lightly cry. I wanted to cry too, but stopped when I suddenly felt Jaq climb onto my shoulder and whisper in my ear. "Oh Cinderella…" I happily sung.

"Huh?"

"Why are you crying when you should be getting ready for the ball?" I smiled.

"What do you mean? I don't have a dress to wear." She argued.

"Oh yeah…? Then what do you call this?" I grinned when I opened her wardrobe to revile the most beautiful pink and white dress I've ever seen.

"**Surprise!"** The animals and Goofy shouted.

"What is all this?" She gasped.

"Well your friends knew that you weren't going to have time to finish your dress, so while we worked… they fixed it for you." I explained.

"It's so beautiful. Thank you!" She cheered.

"Now hurry up and change so you can go." I commanded as she did just that.

…

…

…

After Cinderella put on her dress, we ran down the stairs and presented it to her family. "Isn't it wonderful step-mother?" She said as she twirled around in it.

"Well Lady Tremaine… looks like you lost our little bet." I smirked.

"You are right. Looks like you have bested me. Congratulations. But before we go, would you please bring Cinderella a rag? She needs it to help get the stain off her face." She asked me.

"I guess. Where are they?" I asked.

"They're under the sink. Here. Let me help you."

"_I don't like that smirk of that old bag of bones."_

We walked back to the bathroom, but when I walked in she locked the door. **"LET ME OUT!"** I screamed as I banged on the door. The next thing I knew, I heard Cinderella and the girls screaming at each other. **"CINDERELLA? CINDERELLA! CINDERELLA, WHAT'S HAPPENING! DAMNIT! LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW YOU BITCH! LET ME OUT!"** I screamed. My eyes had already turned red by this point. Not waiting anymore, I started to punch the door before I finally kicked it off its hinges.

When I finally re-entered the room, the three witches had already left and the only thing that remained was just the ripped fabric of Cinderella's dress and the beads she had worn around her neck. My fist clenched when I grabbed one of the fabrics lying on the floor. "Ke'Ania…?" Goofy whispered.

"Where is she?" I mumbled back.

"She ran into the garden." He replied.

Without saying a word, Goofy and I walked into the garden where Cinderella started to cry. "Cinderella…" I started.

"Thank you. All of you, but it's just no use. There's no such thing as dreams coming true. There's nothing to believe in." She sobbed.

"_**Now you can't really believe that?"**_ Asked a gentle voice.

"Who are you?" Cinderella asked when she looked up.

"Why I'm your Fairy God Mother, child. I'm here to help you." Replied the women.

"How are you here to help?" Cinderella asked.

"I'm here to help you get to the Ball. Now where did I put that magic wand?" Asked the old fairy as she searched her clothing.

"_Is she dense? But then again I can do magic too, so maybe she's not so crazy."_

"Oh here it is." The fairy said as she summoned her wand out of thin air.

"Whoa…" Everyone said.

"Ok, now that I've found it let's begin. The first thing we need is a pumpkin." She laughed.

"A pumpkin?" Cinderella asked.

"Yeah. What's the pumpkin for? You hungry?" I asked.

"Oh no my dears. It's your transportation. How else were you going to get there?" The blue fairy laughed. "Now what were those words again…? Oh yeah:

"_**Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo  
Put 'em together and what have you got  
bibbidi-bobbidi-boo  
Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo  
It'll do magic believe it or not  
bibbidi-bobbidi-boo  
Salagadoola means mechicka booleroo  
But the thingmabob that does the job is  
bibbidi-bobbidi-boo  
Salagadoola menchicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo  
Put 'em together and what have you got  
bibbidi-bobbidi bibbidi-bobbidi bibbidi-bobbidi-boo"**_

She sang as she turned the pumpkin into a huge white carriage.

"Whoa… What else can you do?" Goofy asked.

"How about I turn four mice into horses?" She winked as she did as she said.

"What's next?" I cheered with yellow eyes.

"How does a horse for a Coachman sound?" She laughed as she waved her wand and did as she said what she was going to do. "And next we'll have Bruno as the man who rides on the back." She laughed. "Now hurry my child. The clock's ticking." She announced.

"I don't mean to be rude, but um… don't you think you're forgetting something?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Let's change your dress. Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo." She said before turning Cinderella's rags into a gorgeous white gown with glass slippers.

"It's beautiful." Cinderella gasped.

"Yes it is. And now you look just like the princess you are." I smiled.

"Oh Ke'Ania, I do wish you would come with me." She begged.

"I can't." I said.

"Ke'Ania stop it. You can take one night off and enjoy yourself. You've been working too hard lately." Fairy God Mother said.

"How do you~" I started.

"Now what kind of fairy god mother would I be if I didn't know? A bad one let me tell you." She replied.

"Please Ke'Ania… It would mean so much to me if you came." Cinderella pleaded.

"Alright fine… I'll go." I sighed in defeat with a smile on my face.

"Alright then. Just hold still and I'll make you a dress." The woman said as she focused on me. "Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo." She chanted before allowing her magic to flow around me and turn my rags into an equally gorgeous gown. "How's that?"

"It's beautiful."I whispered. "Thank you Fairy God Mother."

My gown was a strapless white puffy dress that touches the floor. My glove was also white, but it wasn't my battle gloves. The one I'm wearing reaches my elbow, is white, covers my fingers, and is worn on my left arm while my right one is bare. I'm also wearing pearls around my neck and a sparkling diamond tiara in my head. My sandy brown hair had two bangs in the front; half of it was in a neat bun, while the rest of it was curled and rolling down my back. And finally to top it all off, my shoes were four inch, white, open-toed heels. I wasn't really used to heels, but I walked and danced in them like an expert. I was something straight out of a fairytale.

"Now girls I know you're excited, but you must heed my warning. When the clock strikes midnight tonight… the magic will disappear and everything will go back to the way things were. Do you understand?" She asked before everyone nodded. "Good, now everyone have a wonderful time. And don't forget midnight!" She cheered as she disappeared.

"Thanks…" Cinderella and I both whispered as we and Goofy hopped into the carriage and drove off.

Throughout the whole trip I kept thinking the same thing. _"I wonder what Sora will say when he sees me?"_

…

…

…

**Sora's P.O.V.**

"This is a bore." The Prince groaned as we danced with some more random girls.

"I know." I agreed as I stared into the glistening green eyes of the pale girl I was dancing with. _"She's nothing like Ke'Ania."_

As we continued to dance and switch partners, I kept thinking about how I got here. After we split up Donald and I wondered around the village for hours until I accidentally ran into the prince. We hit it off right off the back and later on he invited me back to his castle. Although it was all a blur after I started getting fitted for an outfit appropriate for this Ball. The Prince hates stuff like this because he's basically being forced to pick a bride, but he never does. I don't really care to be honest. I just wish I could have Ke'Ania here so I don't have to listen to these giggling girls anymore. I already told Donald to keep an eye out for her, but he hasn't said anything yet. _"Where are you Ke'Ania?"_ I turned my head to see the prince wearing a bored expression on his face. "Enjoying yourself Charming?" I smirked at the Prince.

"As if." Replied the prince.

"Sora. Charming. They're here." Donald warned.

"Is he talking about the girls you were telling me about?" Charming asked.

"Yep. In fact, they should be coming in right… about… now…" I smiled as I pointed toward the wide staircase. And as if right on cue Ke'Ania and a blond, probably the princess, descended down the staircase. I have to admit that I wasn't really looking at the princess as much as I was looking at Ke'Ania. She was just so beautiful. I couldn't-wouldn't- stop staring. She walked gracefully down the stairs while holding her dress. The whole place was silent as the prince and I approached the girls. We politely greeted each other before kissing their hands. Ke'Ania's eyes remained a pretty pink as I took her hand and positioned ourselves together. We just waited for the band to start playing before we started to dance. The lights were dimmed so that only Charming, the princess, Ke'Ania and I shined. We twirled around the dance floor. Both of us in perfect sync. It feels as though we've been doing this for years. I smiled when her eyes turned from pink to fuchsia. _"That's new…"_

"You look handsome Sora." She commented.

"Thank you. And you look beautiful and weird at the same time." I replied.

"What does that mean?" She asked while raising an eyebrow.

"I mean that I'm not used to seeing you in a dress or heels for that matter. That's why it's weird, but all the same… you're still just as pretty." I smiled down at her, causing her to blush.

"Thank you."

We didn't say anything for a while, which was ok because it gave me a chance to hear the woman singing her song.

_**I gotta take a little time  
A little time to think things over  
I better read between the lines  
In case I need it when I'm older**_

_**In my life there's been heartache and pain  
I don't know if I can face it again  
Can't stop now, I've traveled so far  
To change this lonely life**_

_**I wanna know what love is  
I want you to show me  
I wanna feel what love is  
I know you can show me**_

I haven't known Ke'Ania that long, but I could tell that she's been forced to deal with a lot of pain in her life. For a minute, I actually thought that her natural eye color is that sad blue. But now… I'm just glad that it's not. Whenever I would see her look so empty and sad, I would always wish that I could just take away all of her problems. Sometimes I even wished that I could just take her sad and depressed emotion, ball it up, and throw it away. Treat it as if it was trash because she didn't-doesn't- need it anymore. I don't ever wanna see her cry again.

_**I'm gonna take a little time  
A little time to look around me  
I've got nowhere left to hide  
It looks like love has finally found me**_

In my life there's been heartache and pain  
I don't know if I can face it again  
I can't stop now, I've traveled so far  
To change this lonely life

I wanna know what love is  
I want you to show me  
I wanna feel what love is  
I know you can show me

I wanna know what love is  
I want you to show me  
And I wanna feel, I want to feel what love is  
And I know, I know you can show me

I was so distracted by the music to notice that Ke'Ania had buried her head in my chest. I had to hold down a chuckle caused by the tiara she was wearing. The blush I was sporting warmed my checks as I moved to place my chin on her head. _"Huh? I never knew Ke'Ania was __**that**__ short compared to me."_ I started to light chuckle, but stopped when I felt her fully close an invisible gap between us. I hate to admit it, but I loved the way her small form felt against my larger one. All these were happy thoughts until I felt myself getting hotter. I tried to breathe gently, but I was only making it worse. The blood in my ears and groin were telling me so.

"Your heartbeat and scent is soothing." She sighs against my chest. "I like it."

"_All this time… I thought I just liked Ke'Ania, but now… now… now… I think I love her…"_

_**Let's talk about love  
I wanna know what love is, the love that you feel inside  
I want you to show me, and I'm feeling so much love  
I wanna feel what love is, no, you just cannot hide  
I know you can show me, yeah**_

During the dance, it felt as though Ke'Ania and I were the only two dancing. There were no ceilings or floors or walls or people… just us and the music that filled the air. _It was magical. It was wonderful. It was… Wait a minute… Where did Charming and the princess go?"_ I cautiously looked around, but didn't see a trace of them. _"They must've escaped into the garden."_ Looking down, I saw Ke'Ania smiling. It was beautiful, but because of this stupid mission I had to interrupt it. "Hey. Ke'Ania." I nudged, snapping her out of her contentment.

"Huh?"

"They're gone." I whispered.

"Who?"

"The princess and the prince are gone." I harshly whispered.

"_**WHAT? WHAY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME BEFORE?"**_ She lightly yelled in my ear before turning to glare at an elderly woman, who was standing next to two ugly girls.

"Who's she?" I asked, still twirling Ke'Ania around.

"She's Cinderella's step-mother and also the villain of this would. I _**despise**_ that woman." Ke'Ania growled.

"Cinderella? That's the princess's name?" I asked.

"Yeah. Nice isn't it? Wish I could say the same thing about the way she's treated though." Ke'Ania commented. "So where do you think they went?"

"My guess would be into the garden. Just follow my lead." I whispered into her ear. She nodded and followed my every step until we reached the garden. "Here we are." I announced.

"And there _**they**_ are. Quick, get down." She ordered before pulling me down with her. "I don't want them to see us." She mumbled.

She was watching from in between the bushes while I sat against them. I allowed my eyes to run over her entire form before speaking. "How have you been these past couple of hours?" I asked.

"Fine until I bumped into Lady Tremaine. That's the witch I was telling you about earlier." She said.

I "hned" before going silent again. The stars covered the sky in a blanket of white dots. It was a beautiful scene, but it didn't help the awkwardness I felt. Turing toward Ke'Ania again, I tried to start another conversation. "So~"

"Did you find out anything while we were separated?" She asked suddenly.

"_That was supposed to be my line."_ "Sorry, but no… What about you?"

"I didn't find too much out. All I know is that Lady Tremaine is toying with us." She confessed.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She had Cinderella and I trapped in her house and practically under her control… so why not just send us to the Darkness already?" She asked more to herself than to me.

"If you want me to, I could come back with you guys." I offered.

"Naw. It's ok. I can handle it and plus she would think something's up if she _**even**_ sensed your presence." She explained.

"But I have to protect you. I would feel awful if something happened to you while I wasn't there to protect you." I mumbled.

I didn't miss the blush or pink eyes that appeared on her features before she turned away from me. "I appreciate how much you want to protect me, but… I have to do most of it on my own… Or else I'll never get strong enough to surpass you." She almost whispered.

The words that she said hurt me deeply, but I can relate to them. I don't know when, but somehow my body had leaned closer to her. "How did you two get here anyway?" I asked.

"Magic far more powerful than mine." Was her reply before looking at her hands. "My magic can only destroy and kill _**not**_ make something so beautiful as the carriage or the dresses we're wearing." Her once fuchsia eyes turned blue again.

I quickly grabbed her hands and held them within mine. "Your magic, released from these small hands, _**can**_ create wonderful things. _**You**_ can create wonderful things. They may not be things such as a dress or a carriage, but whenever you use your magic in battle… _**that's**_ when your magic is wonderful." I smiled.

She didn't say anything for a long time. Her eyes only shifted from blue to pink again before she smiled. "Thank you… Sora." She whispered. I nodded, but stopped when I noticed that our faces were just centimeters away. Our eyes were half-lid and our noses barely touched. I saw her part her mouth slightly. We inched closer and closer. Before I closed my eyes all the way, I could've sworn that her irises went back to fuchsia. Our lips were just about to touch, but then… the clock struck midnight. Ke'Ania gasped before standing. "It's mid-night. Oh no. **WE HAVE TO GO!**" She yelled before turning toward me with an apologetic smile. "I'll see you later Sora. **COME ON!**" She yelled again before both girls sped off.

"**KE'ANIA! WAIT!"** I yelled as the prince and I chased after them. I don't know how long we chased them, but by time we got to the end of the staircase, in front of the palace, they were long gone. Leaving only a glass behind. "Damn. They got away." I cursed.

"What do we do now, Sora? They could be anywhere." Charming complained.

"Don't worry Charming…. We'll find them. Where ever your girl is… mine is with her. Her changing eyes will lead us to them." I mumbled to myself after following the prince back into the castle.

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

We were awoken by the giant clock, but we didn't care. The smiles on our faces never faded after we got back home. We thanked Fairy Godmother for the magical night and the souvenir, Cinderella's glass slipper. A little later we heard the three witches return, but still didn't care. We told stories about the ball to all our animal friends before dancing until dawn with each other. We had a wonderful time. My heart still fluttered from Sora's touches. _"Last night I danced with Sora and it was pure bliss. He looked so handsome. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Even when I was watching over Cinderella and the prince, my eyes would secretly travel back to Sora. Now I know… I really do love Sora."_

During our chores, Lady Tremaine came running into the house hot and a little bit sweaty. "Cinderella, where are my daughters?" She demanded more than asked.

"I believe they're still sleeping, step-mother." Cinderella answered.

I almost laughed when I saw the witch twitch. _**"Those lazy brats."**_ She growled. Both Cinderella and I looked at each other in confusion before flinching when that old bag of bones hit the railing with the side of her fist. "Well don't just stand there, bring us our morning tea… **NOW!**" She commanded before stomping up the stairs.

"Who shoved a pole up her ass today?" I snorted.

"I don't know, but I wanna see what all the fuss is about. Come on." Cinderella said as she led me up the stairs.

We didn't have to put our ears to the door to hear what was going on. **"GET UP YOU LAZY GIRLS! WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE! GET UP NOW!"** Yelled the old witch.

"What is it Mother?" Asked a sleepy Drizella.

"_**EVERYONE**_ is talking about it. The _**PRINCE**_ fell in love with the girl he was dancing with at the ball last night, but he doesn't know who _**she**_ is. So, in a quest to find her, the prince is going to use the glass slipper, the girl left at the ball last night, to find her." Lady Tremaine grinned.

Both Cinderella and I were practically jumping out of our skins from the big news, but decided not to make a sound just yet.

"But Mother, what does that mean for us? If the prince is so in love with _**that**_ girl, why should we care?" Anastasia yawned.

"Don't you get it? If either of you manages to get your foot inside that slipper, then one of you will become the Prince's bride." The witch grinned even harder as she watch her two bumbling daughters run around like headless chickens.

We were too busy celebrating Cinderella's pre-pre-wedding engagement to actually care about those idiots. "Did you hear that Cinderella?" I jumped.

"Yes I do. Oh Ke'Ania, I've been waiting on this for a longtime. Do you know what this means?" She squealed.

"It means you can finally be with your true love and get the hell out of here, but there is _**one**_ problem." I stated.

"My sisters?" She answered.

"No silly, your clothes. You can't meet the Duke like that. Come on let's see if we can find you something else to wear." I smiled as we skipped to her room.

Inside her room, Cinderella started brushing her hair while I tried to pick something out for her to wear. "Wait a minute. Hold on. What's wrong?" Cinderella asked as she watched Jaq and Gus jump up and down on her table.

I tried to make out what they were saying, but stopped when I felt something menacing at the door. I quickly turned my head to see Lady Tremaine standing in the doorway with a key. "What are you~" I tried to say before she cut me off.

"_**You'll never get out of here now."**_ She smirked while locking the door with the key. By time either of us reached the door, it was too late.

Cinderella banged on the door with all her might. "Move. I'm going to bust the door down." I command as I tried to summon my Keyblades. After waiting for a few seconds, I noticed that my hand was still empty. I kept trying, but nothing seemed to work. _"What the hell is going on?"_

"What's wrong?" Asked Cinderella.

"I can't use my magic or weapons. I wonder if it has something to do with this room?" I questioned as I approached the door.

"But you were able to do it before, right? What's changed?" She asked me.

"I don't know. I think Lady Tremaine put some type of dark magic over us." I mumbled.

My fingers didn't even touch the door before I was attacked by a powerful purple source of evil magic. I yelled in pain before falling to the ground and trembling in pain. "Ke'Ania! Are you alright?"

"No… this door… has blocked… my abilities… I can't free us… sorry…" I struggled out.

"It's alright." She soothed.

"I… have to… get out… before… this place sucks out… all of my… power… I… can't… even… stay awake… Help me…" I mumbled before my body finally went numb. I couldn't feel or move anything. _"I'm in serious trouble. And It's only going to get worse if I don't get out of here soon… Oh Sora, if you're looking for me… you better hurry… before it's too late. "_ My thoughts stopped moving. The wooden floor was cool against my hot and sweaty skin. My eyes fluttered closed. The only thing left to do was listen to my breathing slow as I slipped into unconsciousness.

**Normal P.O.V.**

"**THAT'S KE'ANIA'S DUMB DOG!" **Drizella announced.

"**MOTHER! STOP THAT DOG!"** Anastasia yelled.

With all his determination, Goofy ran as if as the Devil, himself was on his tail. Which in a sense, _**she**_ kind of was. He ran throughout the house, ducking under and jumping over things. Lady Tremaine's frustration only grew with each attempt to capture the black dog.

It took him a while, but with the help of the animals, Goofy was able to exit the house safely. "Thank you guys." Goofy smiled.

"No problem Goof Goof. Now it's up to you to find help while Gus Gus and Jaq Jaq get the key from that mean old witch witch." Jack ordered as each comrade went their separate ways.

With the determination Goofy held in his eyes, he raced toward the castle to find the rest of the group. He needed their help to save Ke'Ania. He may not be the best fighter, he may be a little slower than the others, and he may be clumsier, but he had this power that no one else had or knew about, not even himself… He could sense when someone's life was in danger from any distance. And right now… Ke'Ania's was on the border. He couldn't stop, no matter how much his legs were hurting. He kept running until he reached the palace.

…

…

…

"**SORA, LOOK! IT'S GOOFY!"** Donald shouted from the palace's staircase.

"Goofy?" Sora asked as Donald, Charming, and he went to their panting ally.

"Sora… Ke-Ke-Ke~" Goofy couldn't finish his sentence. His throat was too dry from the sprint he just endured.

"**SOMEONE! BRING THIS DOG SOME WATER!"** Charming ordered before one of the maids brought it.

"Are you ok Goofy?" Sora asked as his teammate finished the bowl.

"**SORA! COME QUICK! CINDERELLA AND KE'ANIA ARE IN TROUBLE!"** Goofy screamed in the brunette's face.

"**WHAT?"** Everyone, except the prince, shouted.

"Who are these girls?" Charming asked.

"Ke'Ania is the girl I danced with last night. Cinderella is the name of the girl _**you**_ danced with last night." Sora explained.

"**THEN WHAT ARE WE STANDING AROUND HERE FOR?"** The prince yelled.

"Goofy… Where are they?" Donald asked as he turned both Goofy and himself back into their original forms.

"Lady Tremaine has them locked in the tower at her house. We have to hurry. The old women had put a strong spell over the room and now Ke'Ania's powers and life are being drained." Goofy explained.

"She wouldn't kill them… would she?" the prince asked.

"No, she needs them to be alive. But we still have to hurry… Lead the way Goofy." Sora said as they raced toward the house.

…

…

…

**BANG BANG BANG**

All four of them busted into the front door after forcing it open. **"STOP RIGHT THERE!"** Sora commanded.

"Your Highness?" The Duke asked.

"_**Duke… Get over here."**_ The prince commanded with a sneer.

"**HEY! LADY TREMAINE OR WHATEVER YOU CALL YOURSELF… WHERE'S THE TOWER YOU'RE KEEPINF KE'ANIA AND CINDERELLA IN?"** Sora demanded with his Keyblade pointing towards her.

"_**I don't know what you're talking about boy."**_ The witch answered.

"_**LIAR!"**_ Sora screamed as he threw his Keyblade at the witch.

"_**Nice try boy..."**_ Lady Tremaine smirked as she swatted away his weapon as if it was just an insect. _**"But you'll have to do better than that!"**_ She wickedly laughed.

"**GOOF GOOF! JAQ JAQ AND GUS GUS GOT THE KEY!"** Jaq and Gus yelled as they raced toward the group.

"_**OH NO YOU DON'T!"**_ The old bag of bones shouted as she aimed her magic stick at the two running mice.

Goofy was quick to jump in and use his shield to block the attack. "Thanks Goof Goof." Jaq smiled.

"Goofy, who are these two?" Donald asked as he shot ice blocks at Lady Tremaine.

"They're Ke'Ania and Cinderella's friends. While I went to find you guys, they had to get the key so that we could unlock the door that the girls are behind." Goofy explained.

"That's good enough for me. Jaq, Gus, and Goofy you're with me. Donald, you stay here with Charming and help him fend off the old witch until we get back." Sora commanded as he lifted the two mice into his pockets.

Lady Tremaine tried her hardest, but with Donald and Charming blocking her path, there was no way she was getting anywhere near Sora and Goofy.

…

…

…

"Damn… The tower feels a lot taller than it looked." Sora huffed as they continued onward.

"It's not that much longer." Goofy assured.

"Hurry, hurry. Cinderelly and Ke'Ania are in **BIG BIG** trouble." Gus jumped.

"We're here." Goofy announced.

Sora slowed to a stop when he saw the evil purple magic surrounding the door. He shivered at how much the level was above his own power. _"This magic is far beyond mine… Is it on another scale than Ke'Ania's too? No. She must've been caught off guard or something… I just wish I believed what __**I**__ was saying."_ Shaking his head free from those thoughts, Sora tried to insert the key, but was painfully shocked by the spell surrounding the door. "What the fuck?" Sora cursed.

"Here, let me try." Goofy said as Sora handed him the key. Goofy inserted the key and unlocked the door, successfully dispelling the evil spell around it. "There." The dog smiled.

"Didn't you get shocked?" Sora asked.

"I did, but it felt more like a tickle than a shock. I wonder if it has something to do with Ke'Ania's powers?" Goofy thought.

"What do you mean?" Jaq asked.

"Well think of it like this… Every one of us knows that Ke'Ania has strong, strange, and unknown powers, right? Well since the door affected her the most, it must be attracted to her powers." Goofy suggested.

"Well that sounds about right… But what does that have to do with why I was painfully shocked more than you were." Sora asked.

"Well that's simple. Since the power that surrounded the door was attracted to whatever kind of power Ke'Ania has, that means that it would also be attracted to whoever's been exposed that same kind of power. The only difference between you and me is that you've been exposed to her power much longer than any of us." Goofy said.

"Oh I get it now. So that would explain why the shock had hurt me more than it did you. Good job figuring that out Goofy. I'm glad you're on our side and not theirs." Sora smiled.

"But it also got me thinking about something else." Goofy confessed.

"What is it Goof Goof?" Gus asked.

"Well… Do you think that there are people out there that know what kind of power Ke'Ania wields?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know Goofy… But let's hope that they're not on the villains' side." Sora nervously smiled as he pushed open the door.

…

…

…

"**Ke'Ania!" **Sora yelled as he ran to the unconscious girl's side. "How long has she been out?" He asked Cinderella.

"For a while now. Who are you?" She asked.

"My name's Sora. I'm Ke'Ania's teammate. Prince Charming is downstairs, waiting for you." Sora explained.

"Really? The prince is here to save me?" Cinderella asked with excitement.

"Yep. You stay here with Ke'Ania. When the fight's over, we'll come back for the two of you." Sora commanded as he put Ke'Ania onto Cinderella's bed. "Let's go Goofy."

…

…

…

When Sora and Goofy returned to the battle, Charming had just knocked out the two daughters before dodging another one of Lady Tremaine's magic blasts. Thinking quickly, Sora and Goofy pulled off a combo attack. Grabbing Goofy's hands, Sora was able spin Goofy around before throwing him toward the witch after he quickly froze her feet to the ground.

"Gotcha'!" Sora cheered before jumping over the railing.

Without allowing the villain to get up, Charming charged at her with a killer instinct. But when he went to strike, Lady Tremaine had disappeared in a flash. Everyone was confused as to where she went before she reappeared behind Charming and struck him down. _**"Didn't your mothers ever teach you not to go against someone you can't defeat?"**_ Lady Tremaine laughed.

The battled continued on for a while. Half way through the fight, each opponent on Sora's team was constantly knocked down and out. They were getting tired and the battle was becoming tedious. They didn't know what else to do. Donald's eyes shifted from Sora, to the prince, to Lady Tremaine, to Goofy, to Goofy's shield, and then finally back to Lady Tremaine. A light bulb went off in the duck's head as he turned toward Goofy. **"GOOFY!"** Donald called out to his partner. With his eyes, Donald suggested a plan to the dog.

"We can't Donald! It's too soon! We haven't really practiced that technique yet!" Goofy voiced.

"What are you guys talking about?" A tired Sora panted as he used his Keyblade for support.

"Goofy and I have come up with a new combo attack, but we haven't perfected it yet." Donald confessed.

"Well now's as good as a time as any. Charming and I will create a distraction so you two can use it. Just make sure you don't fail, or else… we're screwed." Sora warned as both Charming and he stood on their feet.

"_**Had enough you brats?"**_ Smirked the evil witch.

"Tsk. We're just getting started." Sora smiled as both the prince and the brunette ran toward their opponent.

Behind the fighting, Donald used his fire powers to set fire to Goofy's shield before handing it back to its owner. "Here. Now remember you only have one shot Goofy… make it count." Donald said.

With all his concentration, Goofy aimed at his target before throwing it at the distracted woman. Sora and Charming jumped out of the way. Everyone was in suspense as the flaming shield headed towards the shocked woman. It was so close, but the only thing that made the attack fail was her damn cat, Lucifer, jumping in the way. Everyone watched as the deceased cat fell to the floor before its body was consumed by the Darkness, leaving only its collar behind.

"_**YOU BRATS! NOW YOU'RE ALL GOING TO FEEL MY PAIN!"**_ Lady Tremaine yelled as she allowed her powers to swirl around her.

The wickedness of her laugh sent shivers down their spines as her overbearing power made them quiver a fall to their knees in fear. _"What are we going to do now?"_ Everyone thought. The power that belonged to the witch was so strong; it practically suffocated everyone within the room. The evil purple power swirled around the old woman like a tornado. _"Is this where we're going to die? Is this where our adventure ends?"_

"_**ARE YOU PERPARED FOR DEATH?"**_ The witch smirked as she ran towards the trembling males.

Just when they thought it was over, Ke'Ania's Yin-Yang Keyblade was thrown at the charging witch. It barely missed her neckline before coming into contact with the wall. _**"Damn… I missed."**_ Everyone turned to see Ke'Ania and Cinderella standing at the top of the stairs.

"_**HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME~"**_ The witch started to say, but stopped when she was pinned to the wall by Ke'Ania's Lovely Keyblade.

"_**You talk too much."**_ Ke'Ania hissed.

"Ke'Ania. You're alright." Sora sighed in relief.

"_**Sora, Donald, Goofy, Prince… are you guys alright?"**_ Ke'Ania asked in the same sinister voice.

"Yes. Are you alright?" Sora asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Sora literally shivered at the killer instinct Ke'Ania held in her red eyes.

"_**I will be… once I defeat her."**_ Ke'Ania growled as she started to walk over toward the struggling woman.

"_**You bitch!"**_ Lady Tremaine hissed.

"_**What's the matter? You've done put together this bid show to scare us, but when it boils down to it… you're all talk."**_ Ke'Ania smirked as she called her Yin-Yang Keyblade back to her hand. When the blade obeyed, she used it to stab her opponent in the stomach. _**"Look at you. You were going to eliminate those boys within seconds, and within the same amount of time I've managed to place you in the same position. Tell me Tremaine… how does it feel? How does it feel to be just as powerless as the girl who you managed to seal away from this world for years? How does it feel knowing that you're about to be executed?"**_ Ke'Ania overloaded the motionless witch with these questions. The smirk on her face gave away the amount of fun she was having.

"_**I wouldn't know."**_ The villain replied.

Feeling even more irritated, Ke'Ania jumped back from her opponent before raising her fingers. _**"Smartass."**_ Ke'Ania mumbled before using her lightning magic to shock the woman. Screams from the frying witch filled the air. Ke'Ania had already turned her back toward the scene. Once her opponent stopped screaming, Ke'Ania called for her Keyblades to her hands, releasing the old woman from the wall in the process. "Come on you guys. Let's go~"

"_**We're not done yet…"**_ Lady Tremaine struggled out as she got up. _**"You're not going to leaving here in one piece…"**_ With all of her will power, Lady Tremaine raced to the still girl.

"_**You take the fun out of winning."**_ Ke'Ania sighed after slicing the witch in half with her Yin-Yang Keyblade.

The Darkness removed the corpse from everyone's sights while Ke'Ania dismissed her weapons. "Man. She wore me out." Ke'Ania grinned.

"Nice job Ke'Ania." The boys cheered as they raced toward her.

While everyone cheered and congratulated Ke'Ania, Cinderella went to Charming's side. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Are you the one I danced with last night?" Charming asked.

"Yes. I thought I'd never see you again, so I kept the other glass slipper as a momentum." The blond girl confessed.

"I had finally found the girl of my dreams. I wasn't about to let you go." The prince smiled.

"How can you say stuff like this? You've only known me for one night." The princess smiled.

"I know enough to know that you're "The One". As for anything else… how about we find that out along the way?" Charming smiled as he pulled Cinderella against his body.

Each one started to lean closer to the other. Their lips were ghosting against each other as Cinderella gave her response. "I would love that."

Just as they kissed, Fairy Godmother appeared and placed both of them back into their clothes from last night with Cinderella's glass slippers covering her feet once again. "You really are the girl I've been waiting for." The prince grinned. The moment was something sweet until a giant black hand appeared from the ground and grabbed Cinderella. Being the first to help, Ke'Ania struggled to keep the princess from being dragged under. **"SORA! HURRY AND SEAL THE KEYHOLE!"** She commanded. Using his Keyblade and Lucifer's collar, Sora did as he was told, but it was too late. More than half of Cinderella's body was sucked into the ground before Ke'Ania slipped and fell, releasing the princess' gloved hand. _**"Damn."**_ She cursed.

"I just got her back and now she's gone. What am I supposed to do?" Charming sighed with light tears in his eyes.

"… … Nothing…" Was Sora's reply. Everyone turned to see the brunette standing over the crying prince. "You are going to go back to your castle and continue on with your royal duties while we search for the princess." Sora said with his hand on Charming's back. "You'll be alright. We'll have Cinderella back in no time. Don't worry yourself too much."

"That's easy for you to say. You have your girl, while mine is off somewhere, scared and alone." The prince said through his tears.

While everyone tried to soothe the prince, Ke'Ania's green eyes changed to pink to match her blush.

…

…

…

After finally calming Charming, the gang headed back to the Gummi ship to relax. Sora was lying on the couch with his eyes closed when Ke'Ania walked into the living room. "So Sora…"

"Yeah?" He replied with one eye cracked open.

"… What did Prince Charming mean back there?"

"Oh that… uh… he didn't mean anything like _**that**_. When he said "your girl", he meant as in my partner. My teammate. The girl that I work with. You know, that stuff." He nervously replied.

"So… you don't like me?" Ke'Ania said with pretend hurt in her voice and expression.

"No I do, but not like liking you. You know. I like you as ~" Sora blushed and sputtered before Ke'Ania stopped him.

"It's ok Sora. I was just messing with you." She lightly smiled. _"He so likes me. He just doesn't wanna say it. It's cute. I guess liking me is a start, but I did like having the title as __**Sora's girl**__."_ With green eyes and the same smile on her face, Ke'Ania sat right next to a blushing Sora before grabbing the remote control. "So… what do you wanna watch?"


	16. Sad Ending in Wilting Meadow

**Chapter 14: Sad Ending in Wilting Meadow**

**Normal P.O.V.**

Back at the Headquarters for the villains, Ursula the sea witch crawled into the Meeting Hall. All of the remaining villains were laughing at the sea witch's predicament.

"**SHUT UP! AT LEAST I DIDN'T GET TOO GREEDY, GET LOCKED AWAY, AND STILL DIDN'T GET THE PRINCESS, LIKE JAFAR!"** Ursula yelled.

"Oh really?" Maleficent smirked as she removed the necklace from Ursula's meaty neck.

Maleficent waved her wand and used it remove the princess from the sea shell necklace. When Maleficent removed Ariel from her confinement, the princess was unconscious and in her human form while wearing a pink and white dress, **(Her princess dress)**. A wicked smirk played on her green face as she stared at the princess. _"One more to add to the collection. Soon I will have every last princess in my possession."_ Maleficent laughed him her head. "I guess you're not as much as a failure as I thought you were."

"Your majesty. If I may… Our opponents are close to my world now. I would like to please you by bringing you the young Princess Ke'Ania and the other princess, Snow White," The villain known as Queen Grimbilde said as she approached her leader.

"Then go. And don't disappoint me." Maleficent commanded as Queen Grimbilde bowed.

"Why must you always be a self-absorbed show off?" Ursula huffed.

"Your attitude matches your looks. You're just an ugly creature who deserves everything you get. Only beautiful people, like me, deserve victory. Now… If you'll excuse me. I have a task that needs completing." Smirked the queen.

As she left the room, another villain named Oogie Boogie started to chuckle. "She's so conceded. _**She**_ should've been the villain of Vanity Village."

…

…

…

**Queen Grimbilde's P.O.V.**

"Those idiots. They need to learn the rules. Beautiful people get everything, while the undesirables get nothing." I grumbled as I walked into the lowest part of my castle. The room was completely lit with the lights from the candles and the liquids that are kept down here and out of the reach of everyone in the castle. I strolled past all of my chemicals and down the red rug reach my destination. At the end of the trail, under a red cloth, hanging on the wall, my magic mirror rested. Waiting for me to ask it my question.

I snatched the cloth away from the mirror and summoned the Spirit of the Magic Mirror. "Good morning Spirit." I lightly smiled.

"Good morning to you too, my Queen. What can I do for you today?" The Spirit asked me with a smile.

"You can answer my question for today." I cleared my throat before speaking. "Mirror. Mirror on the wall. Who's the fairest of them all?"

"My dear Queen. You ask this of me every day, and every day you get your way. But I'm afraid that you don't get your way, today." It responded.

"What do you mean?" I snapped.

"Fair, you are no more. The two that surpasses you are now standing on this world's floor."

"_**What are the names of these two wenches?" **_I growled through clenched teeth.

"Hair as black as ebony. Lips as red as roses. Skin as white as snow. One of the girls lives here. Her name is Snow White. The other has long sandy brown hair. Full shiny lips. And skin as light as caramel. Ke'Ania's her name. The girl you will soon fight." Replied the Spirit.

"So, Princess Ke'Ania and her lackeys are finally here? Perfect. It'll be like killing two birds with one stone." I wickedly smirked.

"But my Queen." Spirit called to me.

"What is it?" I snapped.

"Are you not worried that your ugliness will increase with you being so mean?"

"Silence you fool! Once both girls are out of this world, I will be the fairest of them all once again." I laughed evilly.

"I must object to this plot. Like you said, 'Ugly people always lose'. Aren't you afraid that since you're ugly now, that you'll lose a lot?" Spirit asked.

"Hush Spirit! No one asked for your opinion. Now go back to sleep. I will call on you when you are needed." I said as I recovered the mirror and turned to leave.

"_No one is allowed to be fairer than me. I will get rid of these girls and continue on living as the fairest woman of this world."_

When I exited the room, I walked to my throne and sat on it, plotting.

"Huntsman!"

Within a few seconds my black haired Huntsman came scurrying into my throne room. "You summoned me, your Highness?"

"Yes. Do you know where Snow White is right now?" I gently asked.

"Yes, My Lady. She is by the wishing well. Cleaning the stairs as you commanded of her." My loyal Huntsman replied.

"Very good. Now then, my dear Huntsman… I have a special task for you…" I smiled wickedly as I watched the beginning of my plan began to unfold.

…

…

…

**Sora's P.O.V.**

"Where are we?" I asked as we exited the Gummi Ship.

"The World Finder Operator, or W.F.O. for short, said that we are in Wilting Meadow, 1937." Donald replied as he stood in between Ke'Ania and me.

"Ok~ Well I see a big castle just north from here. So if I were a princess, I would be there. Ok guys, when we reach the castle, let's split up. I'll find the princess while you guys find the villain or the Prince. Whoever comes first." Ke'Ania directed as she started walking.

"Wait a minute Ke'Ania. Don't you think that we should stay together? Especially after the episode that happened in Vanity Village…" I said.

"Oh you worry too much. After all it _**was**_ me who ended up saving everyone, wasn't it?" She smirked.

"Well yes, but~" I started, but was interrupted.

"Then it's settled. Come on. We're burning daylight." She commanded as we continued walking.

"_That girl is just as stubborn as ever."_

…

…

…

We finally reached the castle and just like Ke'Ania ordered, we had split up. "Hey guys." I called to my two animal partners. "I think we should split up too."

"But why Sora?" Goofy asked.

"We need to make sure that the Prince is safe from the villain. And of course we have to make sure that the villain isn't up to anything." I explained.

"Well I guess it's alright if we split up. Ok Sora, you go and find the Prince while Goofy and I spy on the villain." Donald said as both of my partners agreed.

As I walked further onto the castle's ground, I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard two heavenly voices singing into a well. There, right in front of me, Ke'Ania and a pretty black haired girl were singing while sitting on the edge of the well. A small smile played at my lips as I leaned against a tree and listened to their captivating song.

Close to the end of the song, a tall brunette haired man, wearing a cape came into the scene and scared away the black haired sultry maid. Ke'Ania tried apologizing to the man before she ran after the fleeing girl. _"That's my cue."_ I slowly and quietly approached the sulking man. When I put my hand on his arm, he jumped before turning toward me.

"Hi my name is Sora and I'm here to look after you." I introduced.

"I'm Prince Adam. Nice to meet you." He said as he shook my hand. When we pulled apart, he gave me the weirdest look. "Now… why _**exactly **_are you here to look after me?" He asked me.

…

…

…

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

"Why did you run away?" I asked the princess, who was hidden behind the curtain.

"First off, he scared me. And second, because he was so handsome and I'm so ugly. I wouldn't even stand a chance with him." Snow White confessed.

"Snow White, listen to me." I started before pulling the sad girl from behind the curtain. "You are _**not**_ ugly. You are very pretty. In fact, you are so pretty that if we get you out of these rags and cleaned up a little, then that guy be all over you in seconds." I said, trying to cheer her up.

"You really think so?" She smiled.

"Of course." I smiled back.

"Snow White." A voice called from behind us.

Turning around we saw a tall black haired man. "Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm the Queen's loyal huntsman. Her Majesty has asked me to escort Snow White into the forest for some leisure time. Of course, you're welcomed to join us too, young lady." He smiled after delivering the verbal invitation.

"Oh would you please come with me, Ke'Ania? We can pick flowers in the forest. It's been so long since I got to pick or see some flowers besides the ones in the garden." Snow White pleaded as she held my hand.

"Ok. I'll go. Come on let's get you cleaned up." I smiled.

"Wait. The Queen has given me this dress for Snow White to wear. She said it would do the young lady some good to finally get out of her rags for a day." The Huntsman said as he produced the dress for Snow White.

"Oh. This is going to be a great day." Cheered the sixteen year old princess as she scurried off to her room.

Neither the Huntsman nor I moved after Snow White left, but I lightly shivered from a chill climbing down my spinal cord. Using my peripheral vision, I felt that chill coming the Huntsman. _"What's he planning?"_

…

…

…

Snow White sang while we picked flowers, but I wasn't really paying attention. When I started picking flowers, I found myself only picking flowers that reminded me of Sora. The bouquet consisted of red, blue, white, and yellow flowers. This atmosphere was nice and clam. I turned my head at the sound of Snow White's lovely voice as she sung to a baby Blue Jay_. "I had never felt so relaxed like this, except when I'm with Sora."_

A light smile grew on my lips as I stared at the scene before me. Suddenly, I felt that same chill from earlier run down my spine again. I quickly turned toward the Huntsman and saw that he wasn't by his horse anymore. _"Where did he go?"_ I slowly turned my head to see that the Huntsman was behind an unsuspecting Snow White with a knife in his hand, ready to kill her.

Without thinking, my body jumped up, dropped the flowers, and pushed her out of the way. I screamed in pain as I felt the blade slice through my flesh. I used my left hand to apply pressure to my wound as I slid down the large bolder.

"Ke'Ania!" Snow White screamed as she rushed over to my side. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." I grunted out as I tried to stand.

I hissed when pain shot through my arm. Even though the blade had long dropped to the ground, I could still feel it cutting into me. My white glove started turning red from all the blood that the material was gathering, but I didn't care. My body fought against my will power as I forced it to stand on its feet.

I slowly turned my attention away from my blood stained arm; skin, hand and glove to glare, with red eyes, at the gasping Huntsman. **"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"** I yelled at the man before me.

In one swift motion, said man fell to the ground and started to sob. "I'm sorry fair princesses. Please forgive me. It was the Queen. It's the Queen's fault." He sobbed.

"What are you talking about?" I struggled out.

"The Queen. She is jealous of you two, because you both are fairer than her. She found a way to kill you off and still harness your powers. She gave me this blade to use on you when I did the horrible deed." He said as he handed me the blade.

Looking closer, I saw that the blade was encoded in a light harnessing dark power. _**"Damn it."**_ I growled out.

"What is it Ke'Ania?" Snow White asked me.

"This blade has a special power. Whoever holds this blade can use its magic to harness our powers, even if we're dead." I sighed out of frustration as blood started to drip off my fingers. "Huntsman. What did she want you to do with this blade?" I asked.

"She wanted me to use it to kill you two, harness your powers and bring your hearts back as proof of my success." He confessed.

"Ok. I want you to listen to me very carefully. Do you have any family?" I asked as he shook his head 'no'. "Ok then. I need you to take your horse and never return to the castle. The same goes for us. She probably figured that if we don't return then that means that we've killed each other. Had you returned with just our hearts, then you will be put to death. I can't let anyone die. Not on my watch. Now go." I commanded as the Huntsman followed my orders. Once he was out of sight, I turned toward the princess. "Come on Snow White. We have to go too." I said as I pushed off the bolder I was leaning against.

"What about your arm?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"It's fine. We need to get as far away from the castle as possible and quickly." I groaned out as we walked through the forest.

It started to get dark and I was losing more blood by the minute. I couldn't heal myself right now. I had a terrified princess to protect first. I started to get worried when my vision started to fade. At first, I had thought that it was because the sky had turned dark, but now I can't even see my hand in front of my face. I thought about using my magic, but decided against it. _"I need all the magic I can gather so that I can use it to heal myself."_

The further we traveled in the forest, the weaker I was getting. Using my hands, I searched around until I found a thick tree trunk to rest against. "Ok Snow White… We're far… enough from the castle… We're safe now… We can… we can rest now…" Were the last words I said before sliding down the trunk of the tree, while also fading into blackness.

…

…

…

"Ke'Ania. Ke'Ania. Ke'Ania. Please wake up." I heard someone chanting.

"_Who's calling me?"_ I thought as I slowly cracked my eyes open.

At first, I had to shut them to block out the offensive sunlight, but after a few seconds, I reopened them with more caution. At first, the only thing I could see was a blur of black, blue and yellow. After forcing my eyes to focus, I saw a relieved Snow White sitting on the side of me. "Snow White?" I groaned as I tried to sit up.

"_What happened yesterday?" _The pain in my arm made itself known, but I refused to fall back on the floor. I quickly took in my surroundings as my memories started to flood back to me. _"Oh yeah. I was cut by the Huntsman."_

"I'm so glad that you're awake Ke'Ania." The princess cried as she hugged me closer.

"Are you ok?" I asked while trying to regain my balance.

"I'm fine. _**You**_ should be worrying more about your arm. The bleeding still hasn't stopped." She announced while pointing to the gash in my right arm.

"I'll live. All I need to do is find a place, out of harm's way, to heal myself. Once that's done, I'll be up, moving, and fighting in no time." I lightly smiled. "So, how long have you been up?"

"An hour before I woke you up. I saw that you were still unconscious, so I decided to ask the animals to help me look for food. We searched for a while before we found a little cottage just over this way. Come on." She smiled before leading me to our new destination.

…

…

…

"There it is!" The princess cheered.

I stepped out of a shrub and saw, what looked like, a dollhouse. As I strolled over to the miniature cottage, I tried to be careful so that I _**didn't**_ step on one of Snow White's new woodland friends. I hung around in the background while Snow White and the animals observed the outside of the little home.

"It's dark inside." The princess announced. She fixed herself a little before knocking on the door a few times. "I don't think there's anyone here." She shrugged.

"Well, I don't sense any danger or other presences. That's a good invitation for us to go inside." I said as I pushed the door open with my bloody, left hand. I started to cough and sneeze when I entered the dark cottage. "Damn, it's dusty in here."

"I wonder who lives here?" Snow White asked as she, the animals, and I moved further into the house.

Everything was quiet in the house. I didn't like it. Suddenly, all the animals ran for the front door as the princess shrieked. Thinking quickly, I drew my one of my Keyblades and readied for an attack. "What's wrong? Where's the danger? Are we under attack?" I said as I looked around the room.

"What a cute little chair. Ke'Ania, come look at this cute little chair. Isn't it absolutely adorable?" Snow White squealed in excitement.

"Damnit girl. Don't scare me like that." I grumbled after dismissing my Keyblade.

She practically skipped around the house and cooed at every little thing she saw. _"People from this world get excited over every little thing."_ I sighed to myself as I continued my tour of the first floor. Looking closer I noticed that many things around the house came with six more identical objects just like it. There were seven chairs around a rounded table. Seven pairs of striped socks. Seven ladles, which were handing above the fireplace. Just to name a few.

"Hey Snow White." I called, snapping her out of her giggling fit. "Have you noticed that almost everything here comes in the odd number of seven? Like these seven chairs, socks, and ladles."

"Yeah. And I've also noticed that this room is covered in filth, dust, and cob webs. Do you think that seven very messy children live here?" She asked.

"It's possible. But _**are**_ they living here alone is the real question." I said as I continued to look around the dirty house.

"You would think that their mother or father would~ Wait a minute… Ke'Ania. What if these children are living here all by themselves?" Snow White gasped. I didn't say anything. I felt like there was nothing else to be said. "I know! What if _**we**_ cleaned the house for them? Wouldn't that be a surprise? And then, if we do a good job, maybe they'll let us stay." She giggled as two Blue Birds took her cape and hung it up.

"Ok you guys." She said while pointing to the chipmunks. "You will do the dishes. The rabbits and birds will tidy up the room. All the other animals will clean the fireplace. While _**I**_…" She stopped when she picked up the cobwebbed covered broom. "I'll use the broom." She smiled while sending the animals to do their job.

"Well it looks like you have a handle on this cleaning situation. I'll just sit here, completely out of the way, and heal myself." I said as I took a seat on the little chair with an owl carved into it.

While healing myself, I watched as the animals and the princess sung merrily as they worked. I hated to admit it, but they all looked so cute while they worked. I laughed when the squirrels used a towel to dry off the dishes after the dear licked them clean. "Oh no. That won't do. You're supposed to put them in the tub." Snow White lightly scolded them.

I was surprised when they understood her and actually did the job right. _"Now how can woodland animals understand that, but a __**fourteen**__ old boy, a __**talking **__duck, and a __**talking**__ dog couldn't get it right?"_ I mentally laughed when I thought of my teammates.

"Not under the rug." I groaned at the squirrels when they tried to sweep the dirt under the rug.

The healing process was longer and more tiring than I expected, but I was too entertained by the working animals to really care. Although I could've done without all the sneezing the dust caused.

They worked all day. By time they were finished, the sun had set and the stars had came out. The time it took to heal myself worried me greatly. _"Are my powers fading? Or is it because I'm still weakened form all the blood I lost?" _

When cottage started to darken, Snow White and I lit two candles and began to walk upstairs with the rest of the animals. I giggled when I saw that the turtle was having some difficulty. Being nice, I picked up the turtle and continued to walk up the stairs and into the room that hid behind a door.

Inside, we saw seven names carved into the front boards of the bed, but my eyes were too tired to read them. On the right side of the room, I saw three beds pushed together. Sighing in relief, I removed my shoes, watched as the animals placed them by the door, dragged my sock covered feet to the three beds and fell face first into one of the beds. My body was long enough for me to get comfortable on three beds. The scent coming from the bed, my head was laying on, wasn't too bad, but it wasn't all that great either. But hell. When you're tired the only thing you care about is sleeping. I closed my eyes. I felt someone slipped a cover over my body before the animals curled into me.

That night, just like any other, I dreamt of Sora. _"I wonder if Donald, Goofy, and Sora are ok? I wonder if they're sleeping right now? I wonder if they even know if I'm gone?"_

...

…

…

**Normal P.O.V. (Meanwhile)**

While the girls slept, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Prince Adam searched for the missing girls. Sora was the most worried out of the group of four. The search for Ke'Ania and Snow White began when they heard the painful scream Ke'Ania let out.

"Sora… We've been searching for them all day. It's dark. We're hungry and tired. Plus, my magic is about to go out. I say we set up camp here and start fresh in the morning. You know, where's there sunlight." Donald suggested.

"You're right." Sora hesitantly sighed as he sat down with the rest of the guys.

Before Sora knew it, Donald and Goofy were fast asleep, but our brunette found himself gazing at the stars. He was too worried about Ke'Ania to sleep. _"I hope she's alright."_ He sighed heavily while closing his eyes.

"Hey Sora." Prince Adam called as he rolled over onto his right side.

"Yeah?" Sora answered with one eye cracked opened.

"What's the princess, you guys are searching for, like?" The prince asked.

"I don't know. I've never personally met her. In fact, I only had the honor of seeing her a few moments before you came into the scene." Sora confessed. "How about when we find them tomorrow, you can have all the time you want to get to know her," He suggested as he turned away from everyone.

"I'm looking forward to it." Mumbled the, now, sleeping Prince Adam.

...

…

…

Ke'Ania's dream was too enjoyable to wake up from, but she had a nagging feeling. She felt as though something, or someone, was watching them. She tried to turn over and ignore the feeling, but to no avail. The feeling only grew stronger and stronger until it got the better of her. Out of curiosity, Ke'Ania rolled back over and cracked one eye open. At first, she saw nothing and reclosed her eyes, but then something poked her leg. She reopened her eyes and sat up. She crawled over to the end of one of the beds and leaned over. When she leaned over far enough, Ke'Ania stared, with wide eyes, at four little men. Everything was quiet for a second before Ke'Ania started screaming, causing everyone else to scream in fright.

"**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! LITTLE PEOPLE!"** Ke'Ania screamed.

"**AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! BIGGER THAN US CRAZY FEMALE!"** The men hollered.

Everyone screamed for a few more seconds before they stopped and tried to control their heartbeats and breathing. "Who are you guys?" Ke'Ania panted.

"Whoever they are, they sure are cute little things." Snow White cooed as she poked one of them in the nose, causing all of them to scurry into a corner.

Ke'Ania's eyes narrowed as she observed the trembling men. She threw the covers off her and carefully strolled over to them and squatted down to their height. "One, two, three… seven men. Little men at that. Wait a minute… Are you the guys that live here?" She asked before they nodded. "Hum um. Just as I thought. Hey, remember those motherless children we thought lived here?" Ke'Ania asked while standing up, facing Snow White, and placing one of her hands on her hip.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" The princess replied as she got out of bed.

"Because I just found them." Ke'Ania answered as she pointed a finger at the men.

"You mean these little men live here?" Snow White asked while bending over to get a better look at them.

"If I'm not mistaken. Well? Am I wrong?" Ke'Ania asked.

"No. You are right. We do live here. We're known as the Seven Dwarfs. I'm Happy. This is Sleepy. Doc. Dopey. Grumpy. Sneezy. And finally, this is Bashful." Happy introduced.

"Nice to meet ya." Ke'Ania smiled, causing most of the seven men to blush.

"Ok. Ok. You know who we are. Now who are you?" Grumpy asked with both arms crossed, a scowl on his face, and one eye opened.

"I'm Ke'Ania. That's Snow White over there." Ke'Ania introduced, using her thumb to point to both bodies.

"Wait a minute guys…" Doc said as he stepped closer to the two girls. "Aren't you two princesses?"

"So you've heard about us, huh?" Ke'Ania asked as she sat on the floor.

"Yes. You see, we are the keepers of this forest. It's our job to keep track of things in and out of this world." Sneezy explained.

"So then, you know about my step-mother and how she tried to kill us?" Snow White asked.

"Now that we haven't heard. But, you are welcomed to stay here and hide if you girls wish." Bashful blushed.

"Hold on a minute. I don't want them here. What if the Queen comes here to look for them? Then what? We're no match for her wicked powers. Nope, I don't like this. Not one bit." Grumpy expressed with the same body and face language.

"Oh please let us stay. We'll clean, sew, wash, and cook." Snow White offered.

"**COOK? HOORAY! THEY CAN STAY!"** The men cheered.

"Now hold on a second~" Grumpy started, but was interrupted by Ke'Ania.

"Do you smell that? It smells like something's boiling." The younger princess said as she looked around the room.

"Oh dear. I almost forgot." Snow White gasped before she ran out of the door and down the stairs. She tended to the boiling pot while Ke'Ania and the Seven Dwarfs strolled down the stairs as well.

"**HOORAY! SHE'S COOKING STEW!"** The men cheered as they ran over to the table and started fighting.

"Oh no you don't. Did you seven wash up?" Snow White questioned with both hands on her hips.

The men started to mumble before Doc stepped up. "You see, dear Princess, we've already washed."

"Oh really? When?" Ke'Ania smirked while bending over with her hands on her hips too.

"When? … … Um~" Doc tried to answer before Ke'Ania stopped him.

"Yep. Sounds like the start of a lie. Come on. Outside with the seven of you. I'll make sure these guys are cleaned while you finish dinner." Ke'Ania said as she ushered the seven men out of the door.

Outside the men stared at the tub with fear in their eyes. "Come on. You can't tell me that you're afraid of a little water." Ke'Ania smirked.

"Of course not… It's just too cold… is all." Happy said with a tough front.

Ke'Ania rolled her eyes before using her firepowers to heat the water up to a comfortable temperature. "There. Any more complaints?" The sandy brown-haired princess asked with her smirk still in place.

The men shook their heads 'no' and started to wash their faces, heads and hands. By time they were done, the men were soaking wet. "Stand still so I can dry you off." Ke'Ania ordered as the men did as they were told. Using more of her firepower, Ke'Ania was able to thoroughly dry the men quickly. "There. All done. Now don't you~ Wait a minute… There are only six of you. Where's Grumpy?" Everyone turned their heads to see said dwarf sitting on top of a barrel while chewing on a piece of wheat. "So I guess you're not going to wash up than?" Ke'Ania asked with her arms crossed.

"Ain't no way I'm washing up because some frilly little girls are cooking dinner or because they 'asked' me too." Huffed the dwarf.

Ke'Ania rolled her eyes. "Fine. Have it your way." She sighed before using her wind magic to lift Grumpy off the ground, dump him into the water, wash him with soap, and finally use her fire magic to dry him off. "There. Now don't you feel better?" She smirked at the mumbling dwarf man. "Next time you won't wash willingly, I'll let the animals do it." She said as she and the other six dwarfs walked into the cottage.

"Animals…?"

…

…

…

When the men finished dinner, they started to feel tired and so did the princesses.

"Oh my. Look how late it is. Off to bed with the seven of you." Snow White ordered.

"Wait. Why don't you girls take the beds upstairs while we sleep down here?" Doc suggested.

"Are you guys sure? I mean~" Ke'Ania started, but stopped when Happy took the two princesses' hands.

"Oh no, fair princesses. It would not be just to let you two stay down here while we slept comfortably in our beds. Go on. We'll be fine down here." Happy smiled as he led the two toward the stairs.

"Thanks guys. Here, a token of my appreciation." Ke'Ania smiled as she waved her hand and used her wind magic to make the men float in midair. "There you go. You can use this wind to sleep in the air instead of sleeping uncomfortably on the floor. Good night. Sleep tight."

The men nodded and said good night as their door had shut for that evening.

"I think I'm going to like having them here." Doc said as almost all of the dwarfs agreed.

…

…

…

The next morning, Ke'Ania made breakfast out of the eggs and bread she found lying around the house. The men ate, washed, and readied for their departure. Ke'Ania and Snow White stood outside as the men started to exit the cottage.

"Now be careful. That old witch is sneaky and sly. Beware of strangers. We do get them, but very rarely." Doc warned before Snow White and Ke'Ania gave him a kiss on his baldhead.

"Thank you for the warning. See you tonight." The princesses chimed together as a blushing Doc left the cottage.

Seeing this, the rest of the seven removed their hats, warned the girls, and received a kiss out of gratitude. After Dopey received his first kiss, he kept coming back.

"Didn't we give you a kiss already?" Ke'Ania smirked before she gave him another and sent the dwarf off for good.

Grumpy was trying to fight the need to receive a kiss by putting on his signature tough front again. "But as an extra precaution, just don't let nobody or nothing in the house. Ya got it?"

"Why Grumpy. You really do care." Snow White cooed as she finally landed a kiss on the struggling dwarf's head.

He sighed in contentment before bumping into Ke'Ania's legs. "I knew you had a soft spot under that hard front you like to show off." She smiled before kissing his head too. "See you tonight."

Grumpy huffed, trying to act as if he didn't care, as he walked away. Without paying any attention, said dwarf bumped into a tree while in his dreamy like state. "Be careful Grumpy dear." Ke'Ania teased. He huffed again before falling into a nearby stream, successfully soaking himself. "I got this." Ke'Ania smiled for using her fire and wind powers to dry and help Grumpy land safely onto the road.

Everything was quiet as the girls watched the seven men disappear down the road. "Do you think he likes us?" Snow White asked as she, Ke'Ania, and some of the animals entered through the front door.

"Who Grumpy? I wouldn't worry too much about him. He's one of those people you have to see past his front to get. He's just one big softy under that '_**hard'**_ exterior." Ke'Ania smiled as she picked up a dish. "Well, looks like we better get to work. They made one hell of a mess last night."

…

…

…

That night, after the Seven Dwarfs returned, Snow White and Ke'Ania cooked dinner while the men sat and watched closely. "You know what I feel like having? A bath." Ke'Ania said in a dreamy voice.

"Oh, you're right. I haven't had a bath in over a day. I feel absolutely filthy, especially after all the cleaning we did in those two days." Snow White agreed.

"Well… if you two feel the absolute need to bathe, then why don't we men run the bath while you girls finish cooking?" Sneezy offered.

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks." Ke'Ania lightly smiled as the men exited the door. "I could get used to living like this for a while."

…

…

…

After dinner, the girls went into the back yard, where a big pond resided. The water was cold, so Ke'Ania had to heat it up. They stripped and stepped into the relaxing water while their animal friends washed their clothing.

"This is the life." Snow White sighed as she sank deeper into the heated water.

"You said it sister." Ke'Ania agreed. Even though her muscles were relaxed, her mind wondered toward her missing friends. _"I wonder if they're alright?"_

Suddenly, the girls heard shouting and growling coming from the front of the cottage. "Ke'Ania, what is that?" Snow White gasped.

"I don't know, but let's check it out." Ke'Ania said as she hoped out. Since their clothes weren't clean yet, the girls wrapped white towels around their bodies.

In the front of the cottage, the Seven Dwarfs and the animals were trying to fend off the intruders. "What's going on out here?" Ke'Ania shouted, causing everyone to stop.

"Ke'Ania?" The princess heard Sora's voice call out of her.

Her eyes changed to yellow before she rushed to her crush, knocking him over and straddling his hips in the process. Everyone blushed at the scene. Sora looked like he was about to pass out, but then again, wouldn't every guy? After all, it's not every day that the girl of your dreams knocks you over, straddles your waist, and hugs you tightly while only wearing a towel and almost completely soaked.

"Oh Sora, I'm so glad that you guys are alright. Where the hell have you been? I've been worried sick for the past _**two**_ days you bastard. Ugh. I can't stand you sometimes." Ke'Ania scolded.

Donald cleared his throat, causing Ke'Ania to turn toward him. "Um… Ke'Ania… Do you know that you're only in a towel?" Said duck said while Goofy and he peeked through their fingers.

"Huh?" Ke'Ania cocked her head to the side in confusion before looking down and blushing at the scene. She was naked, spear the towel, dripping wet, and on top of a fainted Sora. "Oh ha-ha." She nervously laughed as she got up. "Sorry about that."

Snow White had already ran inside the house out of embarrassment of having her true love see her practically naked.

"Princess Ke'Ania. Who are all these people?" Sleepy asked as he poked his head from behind Ke'Ania's legs.

"These are my friends. That's Donald, Goofy, the Prince, and the boy fainted and bleeding from his nose is Sora. Can you guys please help carry my friend, Sora, inside please. Once Snow White and I get dressed we'll do some explaining." Ke'Ania said as she returned the cottage.

The men did as they were asked. "The things we do to please the princesses." Grumpy grumbled.

…

…

…

"So you mean to tell me that, while you were with Snow White, her step-mother, Queen Grimbilde, tried to kill you and still harness your powers because she was jealous of your looks?" Sora asked after finishing his bowl of soup.

"Basically." Ke'Ania sighed.

"And how were they going to do that?" Sora asked.

"Apparently the villains had invented a knife that allows them to kill princesses, and then use the darkness to harness their powers. Even after their death." Ke'Ania explained.

"Oh great. And just when I had thought things couldn't get any worse." Donald sighed in frustration.

"Well, all that matters is that we're all here now. With everyone here, we can all protect the girls from the villains and their darkness." Prince Adam said.

"I'm glad that we're safe tonight. Now, it's off to bed with everyone. The Seven Dwarfs have to get up for work tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure that you guys are sleepy too, especially after all that food you guys had eaten just now." Snow White ordered as everyone headed to their sleeping places and Ke'Ania made them air beds again. "We can… talk more… tomorrow… If that's ok with you?" She shyly asked to the prince.

"I'd like that." He smiled before kissing her hand. "Good night."

Everyone said their good nights before the boys watched the girls retreat upstairs and shut the door.

…

…

…

When morning rolled around, Ke'Ania woke up and made breakfast while the males washed up and readied themselves for the day. The Seven Dwarfs gave the taller warnings before the girls kissed them and sent all seven on their way. "Hey, before I forget… What do you guys do for a living?" Ke'Ania asked the dwarfs.

"Oh, we run the diamond mine by the cliff." Doc replied before Ke'Ania and Snow White waved them off.

"Feel like making a trip up to that mine today? I could use a few diamonds in my life." Ke'Ania asked Snow White as the girls reentered the cottage.

"What for?" Snow White asked.

"Haven't you heard? A diamond is a girl's best friend. So~ what are you boys going to do today?" Ke'Ania asked the boys.

"Well Prince Adam and I are going to see if Queen Grimbilde is up to anything suspicious. However, at the same time… We don't want to leave you guys here by yourselves. You got away with just getting stabbed… Next time… it could be worse." Sora almost whispered with concern in his voice.

"Sora's right. I just found you Snow White… I don't wanna lose you." Prince Adam confessed to said blushing princess while holding her hands in his.

"Thank you, but your concern is not necessary. I have Ke'Ania, Donald, and Goofy here to protect me. And besides, you'll only be gone for a few hours. What could possibly happen?"

"Snow White's right. What? You don't think I can handle it?" Ke'Ania asked with a glare and red eyes on her face.

"It's not that. It's just… It's just…~"

"_**It's just what?"**_ Ke'Ania hissed, effectually cutting Sora off.

"I care too much to see you get hurt." Sora confessed as he placed his hands on Ke'Ania's shoulders.

Ke'Ania's hazel and pink eyes widen in shock and embarrassment. This was the first time Sora had ever said that he cared for her. Sure he hinted at it and Ke'Ania had already figured it out, but to actually hear those words… It felt nice. Butterflies filled her stomach while redness appeared on her caramel cheeks. But what had put it over the top, Ke'Ania could practically feel Sora's body heat radiate off of him from how close they were standing. The sandy brunette closed her eyes with a smile before placing both hands on top of her love's hands. When she opened her eyes, Sora was dazed by her fuchsia and green eyes. An invisible spark went off when Sora's gloved hands practically traced each curve placed on the young princess' torso.

"Thanks for your concern, but if you really want to protect me, then do your job and let me do mine. There are going to be times when I get knocked down, but it's ok. I can't let you pick me up all the time. How am I supposed to become stronger and fight with you if _**you're**_ the one who keeps babying me? So go. Snow White, Goofy, Donald, and I will be fine on our own. You two will return in a few hours and everything will be just fine. Ok?" Ke'Ania smiled as she held his hands. Neither one cared or paid attention at the close contact they were causing.

He knew that what Ke'Ania was saying was true, but it still didn't change how he felt about the situation. Knowing that he could fight her anymore, Sora sighed in defeat. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Now go. I'll see you guys later on tonight." Ke'Ania smiled as she pushed the two out of the door. "Worry warts."

…

…

…

Hours passed since Sora, Prince Adam, and the Seven Dwarfs left. Now, only the girls, Donald, and Goofy were left in the cottage. Snow White had started cooking with Goofy's help when Ke'Ania and Donald returned with tons of fish in the basket.

"Nice job Ke'Ania. I didn't think you would catch on so quickly to that lightning technique." Donald smiled.

"What can I say. I had a great teacher." She replied with a smile.

"Oh no." Snow White huffed with her hands on both her hips.

"What's wrong princess?" Goofy asked.

"We're out of fire wood." Snow White replied.

"We'll go and get some." Donald cheered.

"Thank you so much. Do be careful when going into the woods though. They can be a little dangerous." Snow White warned as she escorted the two males out of the door. "I hope that they'll be alright."

"Don't worry about those two. They'll be just fine. Come on. Let's get this fish ready for dinner." Ke'Ania smiled as they went to work.

The only noises made were Snow White's singing and the birds tweeting. It wasn't until the animals scurried away in fear that the girls noticed an ugly old lady leaning over the window with a smirk.

Both girls screamed before Ke'Ania drew her Keyblades and pointed them at the woman. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Why, I'm just an old lady. I just so happen to be passing by when I smelt something good cooking. Are you two _**all alone**_?" The old woman asked.

"Yeah…" Ke'Ania answered hesitantly.

"None of the men are here?"

"No…" Snow White answered, using her dress to dust off her hands.

The woman sniffed the house for a second. "Is that… _**a pie**_… I smell?"

"You ask a lot of questions." Ke'Ania raised an eyebrow as she lowered her weapons, but not her guard.

"I was just curious. I hope that you're making _**apple**_ pie." The woman smiled.

"Why no, I'm not. It's~"

"It's _**apple pie**_ that makes the men go crazy. Here, try one." The woman offered.

"How would _**you**_ know?" Ke'Ania glared.

"Why, I used to make them for my husband before he passed away. All I have left is this comb to remember him by." The old lady sighed as she pulled out a golden comb with green and red diamonds on the top of the comb. "It doesn't do me any good, but maybe… Ah. That's it."

"What's it?" Snow White asked.

"This comb can do nothing for my withered old white hair, but maybe… Maybe it can work wonders on _**that**_ pretty long sandy brown hair of yours. Dear Princess." The woman offered. "In fact, why don't you both try them out for yourselves?"

Before they could give their answers the birds started attacking the woman. Ke'Ania and Snow White came to her rescue. They ushered her inside the cottage and into a chair.

On the way in, Ke'Ania picked up the neglected apple and observed it carefully. "So~ What's so special about this apple. It looks quite delicious, but it makes me wonder… _**Why**_ _**haven't you eaten it yet?**_" She asked with suspicion in her tone.

"I knew you would ask sometime soon. You see, dear princesses, that this apple is no ordinary apple. _**This**_ apple, once bitten, will make any wish you have come true." Explained the lady.

"Really?" Snow White cheered as the old woman nodded. "I wish I had an apple like that."

"Here Snow White." Ke'Ania said as she tossed the apple to the black haired princess.

"You don't want it?" Snow White asked.

"Naw. I don't have any wishes that need granting." Ke'Ania explained.

"Well then, here, take my comb. It's not much but I would rather give it to someone who will benefit from it more than I can." The old woman smiled as she handed Ke'Ania the comb.

"Well it is quite decorative." Ke'Ania mumbled more to herself. The more she looked at the comb the more she could feel it grabbing her attention.

"Hey Ke'Ania. Why don't you sit down on the chair and let me comb your hair while I make a wish on my apple." Snow White cheered.

"I don't know~

"It'll be fun. Come on." Snow White pulled Ke'Ania into a chair and started to comb her hair.

"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt." Ke'Ania sighed in defeat as she closed her eyes and let the princess comb her hair.

The only sound around them was the crunching Snow White did when she bit into the red apple. Ke'Ania started to get a nasty headache, but just brushed it off until it became too bad to ignore. She hissed in pain as she grabbed her head.

"I feel funny." Snow White

"That means it's working, my child." The woman smiled.

"My head is killing me." Ke'Ania groaned as she stood up. Both girls wobbled on their feet for a minute before Snow White feel to the floor. "I'm… I'm… coming…" Ke'Ania struggled to say as she tried to walk over to the still girl. Each step made her body feel heavier until she fell to the floor. Her heart was slowing down and her eyelids were becoming just as heavy as her body. Before her eyelids closed for good, Ke'Ania heard the old woman crackle as she returned to her original form and left. _"Damn you… you old… witch…"_

…

…

…

Donald, Goofy, and the animals ran as fast as they could back to the cottage. Their hearts were pounding in their chests. When they arrived back at the cottage, Donald and Goofy kicked the door in and gasped when they saw both Ke'Ania and Snow White lying on the ground.

"Oh no Donald. What do we do?" Goofy asked.

"We need to get Sora and everyone else." Donald said.

"But we can't just leave them here." Goofy announced.

"You!" Donald yelled as he pointed to the animals. "The animals will stay here while you go and get the Seven Dwarfs." Donald ordered as he stood up.

"What are you going to do?"

"This isn't the time to be asking dumb questions." Donald sighed in frustration. "But~ _**since**_ you didn't know, I'm going to go fetch Sora and Prince Adam. They shouldn't be too far away."

...

…

…

Both males went to warn everyone. If you listened carefully, you can hear the thumping of their heartbeats. When everyone arrived back at the house, every man tried to hold back their tears as Sora and Adam went to hold their 'sleeping' loves.

"_**Damn that witch."**_ Sora hissed as he held Ke'Ania closer. "Because of her… Ke'Ania and Snow White are… gone."

They couldn't hold back their tears anymore. It was like Niagara Falls with all the tears that were falling from the men's eyes. Suddenly, a bright light sparkled before them. Looking up, they saw an old woman wearing a sparkling blue gown.

"Fairy Godmother?" Goofy asked as he whipped away his tears.

"It's so good to see you all again." Fairy Godmother smiled.

"What are you doing here?" Sora asked as he did the same with his tears.

"I came here because I heard too many hearts crying. The girls you hold in your arms are not dead. They're just 'sleeping'."

"I don't get it." The prince said.

"It's kind of complicated. The only thing you need to know is how to wake them up. Kiss their lips and let your love flow into them. That love you hold will break the spell placed upon them." Fairy Godmother explained.

The men didn't reply as they stared into the laxed faces of the girls. Both girls' lips were slightly parted and their heads and limbs slacked without resistance. Their bodies were turning colder each second they were held. The boys thought that if they shared body heat, then the girls would wake up. A little voice inside their heads told then differently. They knew that they were being silly, but when you're faced with a situation like this… you don't really think. Slowly, Sora and Adam leaned in. Their hearts pounded in their chests as they neared their love's face. Right when they were about to kiss the girls' lips, Queen Grimbilde appeared with an army of Heartless.

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to do that." The queen said.

"_**Look…Lady… I usually don't get angry, but~"**_ Sora growled as he gently set Ke'Ania down and summoned his Keyblade. _**"When you hurt Ke'Ania… You've just signed your Death Wish."**_

The rage from Sora fueled the other males and Fairy Godmother as they readied for a fight. "I'm so~ scared. Show me what you got… _**'Keyblade Master'**_." Smirked the witch.

Lightning flash as the heavy rain fell. Each person in front of that cottage was soaking wet, but unfazed. With a mighty battle cry, Sora gripped his weapon tighter before charging into battle with everyone on his heels.

Sora sliced, Prince Adam diced, Donald and Fairy Godmother zapped, Goofy shredded, the Seven Dwarfs chopped, and the animals bit and chewed at the enemy before them. Sora used his Keyblade to make a path that led right to the wicked queen. He knew that he wasn't a match for the villain, but he used every bit of magic, strength, and skill to make victory a goal. The wet ground squashed and squirted under his yellow and silver shoes. The queen used her cloak to deflect each and every attack thrown her way. The battle seemed fruitless, but they still refused to give up. This battle wasn't about brute strength or strategy… it was about everyone's will and revenge for the 'fallen' princesses.

The queen's forces were running low and her powers were diminishing, but she still fought on. "Well this is getting us nowhere." A tired Sora panted.

"We need to think of a plan." Prince Adam suggested.

"I might have one." Grumpy smirked as he began to tell them the plan. "Ok. Is everyone clear on the plan?"

"I'm still a little confused." Goofy confessed.

"Just guard Ke'Ania and Snow White with Donald." Sora sighed as he placed a hand on the dog's back.

Everyone nodded before they rushed off to their positions. Donald and Goofy moved to protect the house from oncoming Heartlesses. Sora and Prince Adam waited for the animals and Seven Dwarfs to remove the queen's cloak before they stuck. They ran as fast as they could. The witch saw the oncoming attack and waved her hand in a last resort.

"**GOOFY! THE COTTAGE!"** Donald yelled as they raced to said cottage.

Darkness surrounded the house and started to engulf it, but neither Sora nor Prince Adam paid any attention. Their goal was to slaughter the queen painfully. Queen Grimbilde screamed in pain as she felt Sora's Keyblade and Prince Adam's sword pierce her chest from both sides. Lightning flashed as the queen's cries and movements stopped as her green eyes rolled into her skull. The darkness swallowed her, leaving only the two weapons touching. Both boys slowly let their weapons fall to their sides with their heads hung low.

Sora didn't let the rain finish washing away the blood from his blade before dismissing it. When the boys turned their heads, the cottage had just finished disappearing as Goofy and Donald placed Ke'Ania on the cold, muddy ground. Adam and Sora rushed over to the group.

"Where's Snow White?" Prince Adam asked.

Donald and Goofy only lowered their heads in shame. "We're sorry." Goofy whispered.

"We could only save Ke'Ania before the house disappeared. And we had just barely made it." Donald confessed as he let more tears fall and mix with the rain.

"Sora. You must use this to seal the keyhole quickly before anything else happens." Fairy Godmother said as she held the glowing apple Snow White bit into.

Sora did as he was told before giving the object to Prince Adam. "Here. You can keep this to remember her by until we get her back." Sora smiled sadly as the prince nodded and accepted the gift.

Sora slowly strolled over to Ke'Ania and held her in his arms. He leaned in slowly and captured her soft lips with his. The moment was over in a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime for the brunette.

Ke'Ania groaned as she stirred. Her orange eyes fluttered open and looked around for a moment until they finally landed on the boy holding her. "S-S-Sora?"

Everyone cheered, not even noticing that the rainstorm ended and allowed the sun to shine again. "I'm so glad that you're alright. How do you feel?" Sora lightly smiled as he helped Ke'Ania stand.

"My head is killing me. The last thing I remember was~ Wait. Where's Snow White and that witched who poisoned us?" Ke'Ania jumped before summoning her Keyblades.

Everyone lowered their heads again before Donald stepped forward. "Sora and Prince Adam killed the witch, but Snow White was sucked into the darkness. Goofy and I only had time to save you… … Please forgive us." Donald pleaded as he let a stream of tears fall again.

She allowed everything to soak into her brain before a small smile tugged at her lips. Donald jumped when he felt her hand touch his shoulder.

The duck was confused when he saw a smile on Ke'Ania's face. "It's alright Donald. You did what you could and it was enough. Don't worry everyone… We'll bring her back safely." She said before turning toward Prince Adam. "That's a promise."

The smile Ke'Ania wore made everyone else smile in hope and determination. "So~ Where are we going to live now? Our house is gone, and it'll take forever to build another one." Grumpy said.

"Don't worry Sven Dwarfs. You can come live in my castle. You helped protected, and took care of Snow White before I could. I am in indebted to you. It would be an honor to have you stay with me." Prince Adam smiled as the seven men nodded in agreement.

Sora, Ke'Ania, Goofy, and Donald waved goodbye to the Seven Dwarfs, Prince Adam, and Fairy Godmother as they watched the group of eleven leave.

"Dontchya think we could've asked Fairy Godmother for a lift back to the Gummi Ship?" Sora smiled as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh stop being lazy. Besides, I need to stretch my legs." Ke'Ania said as she started to walk off into the forest.

…

…

…

On the Gummi Ship, Sora was sitting in the control room, deep in thought when Ke'Ania walked in.

"Donald and Goofy told me what you did to save me." Ke'Ania smiled shyly with pink eyes.

"Yeah well… It was no big deal. Anything for the team." Sora nervously laughed but stopped when he felt Ke'Ania kiss his cheek. Without thinking, Sora covered his heated cheek with his hand before turning to stare at the giggling girl. "What was that for?"

"That was for saving my life… My hero."


	17. Getting Help in Travers Town

**Chapter 15: Getting Help in Traverse Town**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

"Ke'Ania, stop jumping in your seat. You're giving me a headache." Donald groaned from his seat next to mine.

"I can't help it. I'm too excited. I finally get to go to Traverse Town. After Sora told me about Leon and the gang last night, I haven't been able to sleep." I confessed through yellow irises.

"So~ you haven't been asleep yet?" Sora suspiciously asked. From the controls

"Nope." I quickly responded.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know!"

"Hey Ke'Ania… Come here." Donald commanded of me to follow, which I did.

"What do you want Donald?"

I watched as he waved his wand around a few times before I started to feel _**really**_ sleepy.

…

…

…

"_**That was a dirty trick, duck."**_ I grumble when we landed.

"Well you were too hyper for us to handle for those last three hours. And besides… don't you feel better." Donald smirked.

I wanted to reply with a smart comment, but decided against it when the ship's door opened to reveal Traverse Town. This is the town that guided Sora to me. This is supposed to be the town we're going to use as a home base. This is… This is…

"This is it? This is the town I stayed up _**all**_ night to see?" I groaned.

"Hey, your fault. Not ours." Donald said, walking past me.

"_**Bastard."**_ I glared at the retreating dinner.

"He's right Ke'Ania. Besides, what were you expecting? Los Vegas?" Sora lightly laughed as he followed Donald and Goofy.

"Hn. More than this, I'll tell ya that." I sighed in defeat as I followed the group into a shop.

"Yo Cid." Sora smiled, capturing the attention of an old blond haired man.

"Well if it isn't Sora and his gang of talking animals. How ya been?" Cid smiled as he patted Sora on the shoulder.

"We're fine. Oh, by the way…" Sora smiled before holding my hand and pulling me toward the old man. "Cid, this is Ke'Ania. She's one of my friends I was telling you about. Ke'Ania, this is Cid. He's the one who helped me when I first arrived in Travers Town."

I smiled sweetly at the kind old man. "Thank you for saving him. I don't know what Sora would've done if _**someone**_ hadn't helped him." I lightly laughed, causing him to laugh too.

"Oh haha. Very funny. So, uh Cid… Where are Leon and the gang?" Sora asked when he plopped down on one of the couches.

"They went patrolling in the Second and Third Districts for dem damn Heartless things. They should be back pretty soon though." Cid replied.

"What are the Second and Third Districts? In fact… What is this place?" I asked while taking a seat next to Sora.

"_**Maybe I should do the explain form here."**_ A deep voice spoke, causing me to turn around and face a brunette with a large scar going across his face. _**"If you do it then you might confuse the poor girl."**_

"Why did everyone decide that today was "Pick on Sora Day"?" Sora groaned while walking over to the tall brunette.

"It's a national holiday. Start reading the notices on the board, Sora." Said brunette laughed as he and Sora messed around with each other.

Although Sora and that brunette guy was the centre of attention, my eyes were stuck on the three people accompanying him. Two of the three were girls. One had very short black hair while the other had her long brown hair braided in the back and held up by a red ribbon. The last member of their group was a short old man with a white bread and blue hat on top of his head.

"Oh?" The long haired girl gasped before smiling at me. "Who are you?"

"Yeah Sora, who is she? Your _**girlfriend**_?" The short haired girl teased.

"**NO!"** Sora shouted, causing everyone to look at his blushing face. "I mean… _**yes**_ she's a girl. And _**yes**_ she's my friend…"

"It's ok Sora. She was just playing with you." The brunette girl giggled.

"Yeah Sora, learn to take a joke. Every once in a while." The black haired girl giggled.

"Yeah. And besides…" The male brunette smiled before walking toward me. "She's _**way**_ too cute to be your girlfriend."

"**HEY!" **Sora shouted.

"Alright, That's enough you guys. Leave the poor couple alone." Cid smiled, causing my eyes to flick back to pink and both of our blushes. "Ke'Ania, since these four wanna be rude and not introduce themselves I'll do it for them. The one with the scar is Leon. Ninja girl here is Yuffie. Aerith is the girl in the dress. And the old man with the white bread is Merlin the Wizard."

"Are you really a wizard?" I asked with yellow eyes and a huge smile on my face.

"Wow~. That's so cool. How do you get your eyes to turn colors like that?" Yuffie asked with amazement in her voice.

"Yes, my child. How do you perform such task?" Merlin asked.

"Natural talent?" I nervously laughed. "So, anyway… You said you were going to lecture me about this place. Right Leon?"

"Well first, let me start by saying that this place is not its own world. Travers Town is a town that was broken off from our original hometown, Radiant Garden, when the darkness engulfed our world. The more our world was overrun with Darkness, the more it kept breaking. When the Darkness had begun to spread throughout the world, Hallow Bastion broke off from Radiant Garden which in turned caused Travers Town to break off from Hallow Bastion. This is all that is left of our world.

But, the funny thing about Traverse Town is that it's always been divided into three districts. This is the First District. The safest district. The one behind us is the Second District. It's the busiest district. There you can shop, stroll, stay at a hotel, but more recently fight Heartless. Behind this district is the ally, which leads to the sewers. The last district, the Third District, is hidden behind that giant door you saw when you first entered this world. It's the most dangerous, but, at one time, it used to be the most romantic and sociable. It also houses the door, which leads to Merlin's house. The reason Travers Town is like this is because, back when Radiant Garden was whole, Travers Town was where most of the business was done. Rather if it was dirty business, shopping, or anything having to do with leisure, people came here. Each district was actually designed for the different activities Radiant Garden's residents wanted to indulge in. The First was meant for the nightlife. You know the clubs and bars. I already talked about the Second. The Third was meant for public things like dances and festivals. Sometimes we don't like to visit all of the districts… brings back too many memories. Not good for the brain, ya know." Leon explained.

"_What Leon said got me thinking. This whole time I've only really focused on trying to find Raven and Saedi and not where I came from. To me, they're only a few of the most important things in my life. I used to think that I would be happy living on the streets… as long as I had them. Someone wise once told me that if you're with someone who makes you feel safe and helps you forget all your problems… than you are home. Raven and Saedi provided me with the love, security, and happiness a lonely demon girl needed in a harsh world. But lately, Sora has been making me feel the same way. It's a lot different from the feeling Raven and Saedi send off, but it's close enough. I'm starting to wonder… Is the reason I don't really care about finding my hometown because I already feel like I'm home… with Sora by my side?" _

"You ok Ke'Ania?" Sora asked in a concerned voice.

"Yeah. Never better." I replied.

"So, Ke'Ania… Where are you from?" Yuffie asked while squatting in front of me.

"I don't really know. Before I came to Destiny Island, I lived in another world. The strange thing is that I don't know the name of it. I still have all the memories of my time spent in that world and of the people there, it's just that… I don't remember the name of it." I confessed with blue surrounding my pupil.

"That is quite strange. I've heard of people forgetting their homeland after surviving an attack form the Darkness, but I've never heard of anyone _**just**_ forgetting the name." Merlin said as he run his fingers through his white beard. "Tell me… What was the last thing you remembered before arriving on Sora's island?"

"Well other than the memories of my friends and my hometown, minus the name of course, I just remember falling, being engulfed in darkness, more falling, being warm, being engulfed in light, being cold and wet, and then I was warm again. It wasn't until later I realized the last few feelings came from when I had hit the water before Sora rescued me." I explained.

"From what you've told us Ke'Ania, it sounds like you came into connect directly with the Darkness. But if that's the case then you should've wither been made into a Heartless, disappeared like the rest of the world, or at the very least have amnesia about everything. Right now, you shouldn't even remember your own identity." Merlin pondered.

"Wait a minute!" Aerith objected, causing everyone to turn and look at her. "Ke'Ania said that she remembers being engulfed in light, right? Could that have something to do with why she remembers almost everything?"

"Yes, I'm sure that it could've contributed to it too." Merlin answered. "But my question is why the Light chose to save her and not everyone else?"

"Could it also have something to do with the fact that she's a Pure Heart Princess?"

I almost jumped when almost everyone gasped at what Goofy asked.

"You're a Pure Heart Princess?" Leon stuttered, as he got closer to my face.

"Yes." I hesitantly answered.

"Oh this is magnificent. Who would've thought that we would have a Pure Heart Princess in our mist." The old wizard cheered. "Follow me to my house. She must be studied!"

"Why does he make me sound like a test subject?" I nervously smiled as the rest of us followed the crazed man out the store and through the large door.

…

…

…

"So~ _**this**_ is the Third District? Now I see why you said this place was meant for public events. It's huge!" I said, using my arms to add onto my non-exaggeration. This place housed a few apartment buildings, a water fountain, and a large area for said events to take place. To me, it looked like a city's square.

"Yes, it is quite impressive. Hurry now. We must get to my house before those nasty Heartlesses arrive.

We all nodded before running toward a door with a flame on it. Merlin used his fire magic to active and unlock the door, allowing everyone to pass through. I shivered at an eerie feeling I suddenly received. Everyone had already started on their way to Merlin's little island house, but I stayed behind. I slowly turned back toward the door and I gasped when, right before the door fully closed, I thought I saw Riku standing there. It was brief, but I thought for sure that it was him.

"Riku…?" I lightly whispered, using my left hand to reach for the door.

"**HURRY UP KE'ANIA!"** Sora shouted from the other side of the lake.

"**COMING!"** I shouted back before using my hopping abilities to make it safely across. _"Why would Riku be here? How did he get here? I mean, yeah I've been wondering ever since we were in Monstro, but at the time I just thought he got swallowed too. How is it that he's able to jump from world to world like that?"_

…

…

…

Inside Merlin's house, Merlin used his magic to make his small home look presentable. I was amazed at the sight, but something caught my attention. I knew the old wizard was talking, but I was paying more attention to the glowing book on one of the shelves. When I touched it, the magic barrier surrounding it disappeared and allowed me to pick it up.

"Merlin..." I interrupted. "What book is this?"

"Oh my Lord." Merlin gasped before racing over to me. He tried to touch it, but it seemed like the book just rejected him. "You truly are a Pure Heart Princess if you are able to even touch it."

"Why? What is that book old man?" Cid asked while everyone gathered around me.

"While I was traveling, I literally stumbled across this book. I thought it was just your average beat up old story book, but after observing it closely, I found that this book contains another world. 100 Acre Woods was its name, I believe." Merlin explained.

"Seriously?" Sora smiled in amazement as he stole the book from my hands.

"You can touch it too? Just who are you people?" Merlin asked.

"He's the Keyblade Master. Now, what were you saying about this book?" Leon asked.

"Oh right. Anyway, back to what I was saying. When I tried to find out more about the book's world, a magic barrier formed around it and rejected me from going any further. I placed the book in my suitcase and decided that I would further study it when I came back home. The more I traveled and gained knowledge, the more pages of the ripped book I discovered. I eventually found them all, but when I tried to fix the book, it continued to reject me. It's been sitting on that bookshelf, untouched, for years." The old wizard explained.

"Well then, how do you propose we fix it?" I asked. And as if on cue, the book, my 'K' necklace, and Sora's crown necklace started to glow. "I think that answered my question. Sora, give me your necklace.

Both Sora and I removed our necklaces. When I held up the necklaces, Sora summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the glowing accessories. A beam of light connected the necklaces to the rusty lock, causing the whole book to glow brighter. I dropped the book before slamming both of our necklaces on top of said rusty lock. Everyone backed away after our necklaces returned to us. A harsh wind blew around the room, causing everyone's hair to smack them in their faces. Everyone grabbed onto something in hope of not being blown away. I used my sharp nails to grip the stone floor for protection from the harsh wind. However, my nails' grip began to loosen and I started moving by the force of the wind.

"**KE'ANIA!"** Sora shouted when he had thrust his left hand toward me.

I used my claws to crawl my way over to him. When he had a strong grip on my hand, Sora pulled me into his chest. Both of us were kneeled on the floor. We were front to front. My face and claws were buried into his shirt while his body acted as a shield from the horrid winds. Screams could be heard from all over the room.

"**LOOK!"** Donald shouted.

Everyone turned to look at the now floating book. The wind carried all of the discarded pages toward the book and placed them in said book. The pages flipped before the book finally closed. Just when we thought it had ended, a bright light blinded us all.

When the light disappeared, I untangled myself from Sora's hold and stood up. I didn't care that my hair was messy. I stood under that book and took hold of it in my grasp.

"That's amazing." Merlin marveled at the book and me. "To think that mere teenagers could posses such power. It's astonishing."

"You said that you wanted to do research on this book, but never got the chance, right?" I asked as the wizard nodded. "Well why don't we do the research for you?"

"That sounds like a great idea." Merlin agreed.

"Well Sora… Up for a little road trip?" I smirked at my crush.

"I'm ready to jump in anytime." He responded.

"Hold your horses Ke'Ania. We can't have you going into another world with your hair looking like that. There might be some hot guys there. Come here and let me fix it." Yuffie teased. As I sat down and allowed said girl to brush my hair, out my peripheral vision I could see a glaring Sora huffing.

After a few minutes of having my hair brushed, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I stood in front of the book. "Ready to go?" I asked my team. They nodded. I picked a destination. All four of us jumped into the book, ready for whatever this world had to throw at us.

…

…

…

We floated into the clearing of our destination safely. "So this is 100 Acre Woods… It kind of gives you a calming fantasy feeling, doesn't it?" I smirked as I observed my surroundings.

"Yeah..." Sora sighed before scratching his head and looking around. "Hey… Where are Donald and Goofy?"

"They must not have been able to pass through the barrier. But we can handle it without them… can't we?" I responded before he nodded. Just when we were about to be on our way, we heard whistling. "Sora… You hear that?"

"Yeah, but who is it? A villain?" He asked.

Without hesitation, both Sora and I tried to summon our Keyblades, but nothing happened. "What's going on? Why can't I summon my Keyblades?" I panicked.

"I don't know, but if it is a villain coming… then we're screwed."

"Well not totally. At least we still have our magic." I smirked as I summoned some of my fire magic."

"I am. I can't use my magic without my Keyblade." Sora confessed.

"Well then…" I started as I set myself into a hand-to-hand fighting stance. "It's a good thing I'm here than."

The whistling got louder and louder as the mysterious person got closer. Both Sora and I readied ourselves for a fight, but then relaxed when a small yellow-orange bear wearing a red shirt appeared from down the path.

"Oh, why hello there strangers. My name is Winnie the Pooh, but you can call me Pooh for short. What are your names?"

"I'm Ke'Ania and this is Sora. It's very nice to meet you Pooh." I smiled as I bent over to get a good look at said bear.

"It's very nice to meet you too Ke'Ania and Sora." Pooh smiled back.

"So, uh… Pooh… What are you doing out here all alone?" Sora asked.

"I live here." The bear plainly answered before pointing to a house right behind us.

"How did we miss that?" I asked Sora, who shrugged.

"By yourself? Aren't you afraid that the Heartless will come and get you?" Sora questioned as he on the log in front of Pooh's house.

"Oh my no. The only real threat in the 100 Acre Woods is those darn Honey Bees that don't like to share their honey." Pooh pouted in a cute manor.

"That's probably why we can't summon our Keyblades. We don't need them here." I explained.

"But if that's the case, then why can you still use your magic?" Sora pondered.

"Well if what Pooh said is true, then we have to have something to fight the bees off with." I explained.

When we stopped talking, Pooh started to whistle with every step he took. "Hey Pooh. Where are you going?" Sora asked as he jumped of the log.

"I have to find my friends. We got separated a long time ago. I've been searching for them every day and have yet to find them. But, something tells me that today will be my lucky day."

"_He sounds like me."_ I jumped off the log and dusted myself off before placing my hands on my hips. "Mind if we tag along?"

"You would really help me find my friends?" Pooh asked, turning toward Sora and me.

"Yeah and besides… things will go a lot faster with three people looking." Sora smiled as we followed our new friend on his journey.

…

…

…

We walked for a good couple of hours before we finally came to rest in front of a large tree filled with holes. "Man, this place is a lot bigger than I thought." Sora groaned as he fell on the ground in a huff.

"Hey Pooh, when was the last time you saw your friends anyway?" I asked, sitting on another log.

"I don't quite remember, but I think they must've all went missing while I took my nap… sometime ago." Pooh confessed.

"So basically you don't even have a clue as to where your friends could be?" Sora grunted as he rolled over onto his stomach.

"Well no not really, but I know of some places to look. For instance this~"

"Hello…? I-Is anyone there?" A timid little voice said, successfully catching our attention. All three of us turned or heads to see a small pink pig come from the log I was sitting on. **"OH DEAR! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"** He shouted in fear as he scurried away to hide behind the tree's large, thick trunk.

"Please forgive him. He's so timid. If I'm not with him, he frightens easily." Pooh apologized before waddling over to his scared friend. "Come on out Piglet. These are my friends. They won't hurt you."

"Really?" Piglet asked with nervousness in his voice.

"Really. Now, why don't you come out. I haven't seen you in a long time and I've missed you terribly. Please come out Piglet." Pooh pleaded.

Both Sora and I looked at each other before moving to squat beside Pooh. There, the three of us waited until Piglet slowly emerge from his hiding place. "It's ok little fella. We won't harm you. We just want to make sure that you're alright." I said in a calm voice while holding my hand out for the timid creature, which he took with trembling hands. "My name is Ke'Ania and that's Sora. It's very nice to meet a cute little thing like you, Piglet."

"Really?" Piglet smiled. "Well then, it's an honor to meet you two too. I'm so sorry I was afraid of you guys before. I feel so ashamed." He confessed.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. I would be afraid of someone who was quadruple my size too." I smiled sweetly.

"So Piglet, where have you been?" Sora asked.

"I don't quite know, actually. One minute I was collecting jars of honey for Pooh, and the next I was trapped somewhere dark. Oh Pooh I was so afraid. I was all alone. None of our friends were there, but most importantly… you weren't there, Pooh." Piglet cried, causing Pooh to wipe away his tears.

"I'm here now Piglet. No need to cry." Pooh said as he comforted his best friend.

"_Looking at Piglet is like looking into a mirror. Boy, Raven and Saedi sure know how to make a girl worried."_

After a few minutes, Piglet stopped crying and started to smile in Pooh's embrace. "Hey Piglet?"

"Yes Pooh?"

"Have you seen the others since you've returned to the Hundred Acre Woods?"

Piglet shook his head. "Sorry Pooh, but I haven't seen anyone. I'm starting to get worried."

"Don't worry Piglet. Sora, Pooh and I are going to find your friends." I smiled before raising my arms to stretch and crack my spine.

"Oh please Pooh, don't leave me alone again." Piglet pleaded.

"Don't worry Piglet. You're coming too." Sora smiled.

"Alright than. Let's go~" I started, but stopped when Pooh's tummy growled in protest. "Looks like someone's hungry." I laughed at the bear.

"It would seem so. Um, Piglet… where did you put those jars of honey you were collecting?" Pooh asked while rubbing his belly.

"I don't remember Pooh, but I do know that the bees have been busy and have made tons of more honey."

The four of us bent our heads back to get a good look at the tall tree. "Oh goody, now the only problem is… how am I going to get up there?" Pooh wondered.

"Leave it to me." I smiled before using my wind magic to make Pooh and me float. "There, now it'll be easier to reach the holes. I'll use my other magical abilities to keep the bees at bay while you eat your honey, Pooh." I said.

Reaching the holes was the easy part, but keeping the bees away was a whole other challenge on its own. No matter how many of them I shot down, more kept coming out of nowhere. It wasn't easy, but I managed to keep the bees down while Pooh ate until his heart was content.

"Feeling better Pooh?" I asked.

"Yes. Now we can keep searching." Pooh commanded as the three of us followed him.

…

…

…

We walked down a dirt road only to come across a garden and a house. "Whose house is this?" Sora asked.

"This is our dear friend, Rabbit's, house. I wonder if he's there though?" Pooh pondered.

"Let's check it out." I suggested.

When Pooh called for Rabbit, a voice answered but it said that nobody was home. _"Nobody's home my ass."_ Sora and I entered through the front door while Pooh and Piglet crawled in through a hole in the back of the house.

"Pooh? Piglet? There you two are. Do you know how long I've been searching for you guys? You had me worried sick." The yellow bunny scolded before turning toward Sora and me. "Are these new friends of yours? My name is Rabbit. Thank you for keeping my friends safe."

"You're welcome. My name is Sora and this is Ke'Ania, by the way."

"Where were you Rabbit? Did the Darkness get you too?" Iasked.

"Yes. I don't know how long I stayed there, but it was too long. If you ask for my opinion." Rabbit huffed.

"Hey Rabbit? Quick question here. When Pooh first called your name, you said that nobody was home. Why is that?" Sora asked.

"It's because, where ever that Darkness took me, I was under constant fear of the Heartless coming to get me. All those days I spent in that Darkness, I never left my home and had to fend off any Heartlesses that did make it into my house. I'm sorry Pooh. I was too scared to pay attention to your voice." Rabbit apologized.

"It's ok Rabbit. I forgive you… if you give me some of your delicious honey." Pooh Bear said as he walked over and helped himself to one of Rabbit's jars.

"You just ate. How can you _**possibly**_ still be hungry?" I laughed.

"Well, when my tummy starts a 'growling, it's time to find some more honey for me to start a 'smacking." The bear smiled before returning back to his jar of honey.

"You silly bear." I smiled.

…

…

…

While we waited for Pooh to finish the jar, Sora and I got to know Rabbit. He's actually a smart… bunny. "So, you two were the ones who fixed the book and returned everything back to normal, huh?" Rabbit asked.

"Yep. It was awkward because it was totally by accident, but we did it." I nervously laughed.

"I'm finished." Pooh announced.

"So what do we do now, Sora?" Piglet asked.

"Well, now that Pooh is finished with his honey we can go and try to find the rest of your friends. Rabbit, you said that once we fixed the book, everything went back to normal, right?" Rabbit nodded. "Well if that's the case then all we have to do is go to their favorite place and hope that they're there." Sora said.

"Are you coming with us too, Rabbit?" I asked.

"Yes. I can't stay in this house anymore. Let's go."

And with that, the five of us left together. Piglet and Pooh left through the hole they came in while Rabbit, Sora and I used the front door. We waited for the rest of the group to come out, but they never did.

"Oh dear! Help!" We heard Piglet yell from the side of the house, causing us to run into the scene.

"What's wrong?" I panted before turning to my left. Pooh Bear was stuck in the hole on the side of Rabbit's house. "Oh."

"I'm stuck." The bear confirmed.

"We can see that." Sora said, trying to hold in his laughter.

"I'm feeling a little depressed. Can I have some honey?"

"**NO!"** We yelled in unison.

"Pooh." Rabbit sighed, "You're already stuck. Why would you want more?"

"It makes my tummy feel better. And when my tummy feels better, then I feel better."

"Ok, so if honey gets him stuck. Than how do we get him _**un**_stuck?" Sora asked, taking a closer look at the stuck bear.

"I know! Carrot juice! A little bit of carrot juice will help Pooh slide right out~ **OH NO!**" Rabbit yelled when he saw an orange and black tiger bounce, on its tail, in his garden.

"Who's that?" I asked. I braced myself when I saw the tiger launch himself toward us. The next thing I knew, said tiger landed on top of Sora.

Rabbit rubbed his furry temples before speaking. "Everyone. This is~"

"The name's Tigger! T-I-double-guh-RR! Yep, that's how you spell it!" Tigger cheered.

"Well it's very nice to meet you Tigger, but can you _**please**_ get off of me?" Sora grunted in pain.

Tigger did as he was asked before taking a good look at Sora and me. "You two look like the opposite of familiar. Who are you guys anyway?"

"The girl's name is Ke'Ania. And the boy you just bounced on was my friend Sora." Pooh introduced.

"Oh Pooh Boy. Why are you stuck in old Long Ear's house hole?" Tigger asked.

"Nice to see you too, old friend. And as for why I'm trapped in this hole. It's a long story." Pooh sighed. "Sora, Ke'Ania, Tigger is another one of my lost, now returned, friends we're looking for."

"Tigger… For everything that is orange and crunchy, _**why**_ did you have to bounce on _**all **_of my carrots?" Rabbit asked.

"Well, you see Bunny Boy, when I was swallowed by that Darkness thingamajig, I had to keep bouncing if I wanted to stay alive, and well I haven't stopped bouncing ever since. Kind of feels like I'm cursed or something." Tigger confessed. "But it's great to be back in the Hundred Acre Woods with all of my friends and be able to bounce freely without fear of Heartlesses."

"Speaking of bouncing… Why _**do**_ you bounce around so much, Tigger?" Sora asked while dusting himself off.

"'Cause it's what Tiggers do bestest. Without bouncing, we're nothing." The bouncing feline explained with a cheer and a smile.

"Well thanks to your bouncing, all of my carrots are ruined and now my house will be plugged up forever by Pooh Bear." Rabbit groaned.

"Wait a minute." I snapped my fingers.

"What is it Ke'Ania?" Piglet asked.

"I think I might have a way to get Pooh out." I smiled before gathering everyone around me to tell them my plan.

…

…

…

"Are you sure about this?" Rabbit asked.

"Oh you worry too much Long Ears. Everything will be fine." Tigger reassured his friend. "We're all set Ke'Ania."

I nodded to them before turning my full attention to Pooh's behind. **"READY POOH?"**

"**AS I'LL EVER BE!"** He replied.

"**NOW YOU MIGHT FEEL A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT TRY AND BARE WITH IT, OK?" **I warned.

"**OK~!"** He sang back.

The plan was, everyone would take shelter in Rabbit's house while I used my water magic to force Pooh out of the hole. It was full proof… I hope.

I waited for everyone to get into position before I focused all of my power on the task at hand. Water shot out of both my hands and onto Pooh's furry butt and sides. The bear gasped at the feeling. I with my heightened hearing, I heard Pooh start to slip out of the hole. Adding just a little bit more power to my hands, Pooh was able to slide out of the hole with a pop before he crashed landed into a set of honey jars.

"**HONEY!"**

"Oh no. Not my honey jars." Rabbit groaned with hunched shoulders.

"Opps." I nervously laughed as I scratched the back of my head. "Shall we get a move on… once Pooh's finished?"

…

…

…

We walked, Tigger bounced, until we reached a small bridge. "Pooh! Look! Something's floating down the river!" Piglet shouted.

Everyone ran over to the railing to get a better look at the object heading toward us. "Is that Eeyore?" Rabbit asked.

"**IS THAT YOU EEYORE?"** Pooh shouted.

"Yes, it is, Pooh Bear. I'm just floating here. Could you guys pull me out? If it's not too much trouble, I mean." The donkey said in a depressed tone. Sora jumped off the railing and pulled Eeyore from the flowing water. "Thanks for saving me, stranger. My name's Eeyore, but you probably didn't care to know anyway."

"No it's ok. My name is Ke'Ania and the one who pulled you out is Sora."

"Eeyore. Why were you floating down the river anyway?" Piglet asked.

"Well you see, I lost my tail… _**again**_… and I thought the river would take me to it, but apparently I was wrong. Don't suppose you guys seen it? It ain't nothing special, but it's my tail none the less." Sighed the donkey.

"Sorry Eeyore, but we haven't seen your tail." Rabbit answered.

"Where was the last place you remember seeing it?" I asked.

"I don't quite remember, but I had Owl try and scoop out the area from above. He hasn't returned yet. He probably ditched me."

"Owl would never do that Eeyore." Tigger tried to convince.

"It's alright if he did. There are a lot of other important things than me and my tail anyway." Eeyore sighed.

"_Man. This guy's depressing."_

Everyone turned their heads back to the bridge when we heard wings flapping. "I'm sorry Eeyore, Old Sport, but I can't find your tail. Although my eyes aren't what they used to be. Especially in the sun's light." The brown owl confessed before turning his head toward us. "Oh my word. Pooh? Is that you?"

"Oh, hiya Owl. Yes, it is me. How have you been?"

"Well, now that I don't have to flee every time those damn Heartlesses come crawling for me, I'm right as rain. And might I add how glad I am to see you safe and sound." Owl smiled before flying and landing next to me. "My… What a fine specimen. My name is Owl dear girl. What is your name? Oh, and the name of your male companion?"

"My name is Ke'Ania. The brunette boy over here is Sora. It's good to see that another one of Pooh's friends are safe."

"Owl, you said that your eyesight is fading right? Especially in the sunlight? Could it be because you were trapped in the Darkness for so long?" Sora asked.

"Oh my dear boy that _** must**_ be it! I've seen nothing but darkness for the longest time, so my eyes _**must**_ need some more time to adjust to the sunlight." Owl theorized.

"Well why don't you rest your eyes while the rest of us search for Pooh's tail." I offered.

"Thank you." Owl said before he flew over to the bridge's railing to rest his eyes.

"You don't have to do that. I don't wanna be a burden." Eeyore said.

"Nonsense. Now everyone, spread out and look for Eeyore's tail." I commanded before I used my wind powers to take flight.

"Wait a minute… What does Eeyore's tail look like?" Sora asked, reminding me that I didn't know either.

After we got a good description of the tail, everyone had split up and started searching. The view from the sky was beautiful, but easy to miss something if you're too far away. When I heard Tigger laugh, I turned my head to the tall hill, on my right, to see said tiger trying to push a scared bunny on the swing.

"Tigger! Now's not the time to be~" I started to scold, but stopped when Rabbit went flying past me. **"LOOK OUT!"** I shouted for everyone below.

I cringed when I heard Rabbit land on a pile of sticks. _"That's gotta hurt."_

"You ok Rabbit?" Pooh asked.

"A little sore, but not as sore as Tigger is going to be once I'm finished with him." The bunny huffed before turning toward the bouncing tiger and shaking his fist.

"Hey Rabbit. There's something stuck on your tail." I said before walking over and detaching it. "Is this your tail Eeyore?"

"Yes it is. I know that it looks dumb, but it's the only tail for me."

We waited for Sora to place the tail on Eeyore's behind before deciding on what to do next.

"There you go Eeyore." Sora grunted as he stood up.

"Thank you guys for helping me find my tail."

"No trouble at all. Anything for one of Pooh's friends." I smiled.

"Now that Eeyore and Owl has joined our group, we can keep searching for the rest of our friends!" Tigger cheered.

"How many friends are left Pooh?" I asked.

"There are only two left. One is a mother kangaroo, Kanga, and then it's her son, Roo. Roo is just like Tigger and loves to jump around. Whenever he's not with Tigger at their favorite jumping grounds, he's practicing at the Tree Forest. Come on. It's just up ahead."

…

…

…

The walk, or jump in Tigger's case, didn't really take as long as the others, but the setting sun told me that it was getting really late. The Tree Forest was filled with all types of trees and their stumps.

"This is where Roo and I like to do our bouncing." Tigger announced as we passed through the front of the forest. "Behind here is the muddiest part of said forest." We all nodded before we continued onward.

The mud underneath our feet told me that we had arrived. **"HELP! SOMEONE! HELP! WE NEED SOME HELP!"** A lady's voice screamed, causing us to run into the scene.

A female kangaroo turned to us with a worried expression. "What's the problem Kanga?" Rabbit asked.

"It's Roo. He's stuck in the tree _**way**_ up there." She pointed the way.

"How did he get way up there?" Tigger asked.

"He was bouncing when the wind shot up from the hollowed stump and blew him onto the branch." Kanga explained with tears in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Mamma Kanga, we'll get your son down." Sora grinned.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Sora. And this is my partner in crime, Ke'Ania."

"_Partner in crime? More like I commit the crime while you drive the getaway car."_

"It's very nice to meet you both. Can you really help rescue my son?"

"Don't worry Kanga." Pooh smiled before walking between the three of us. "These two are my good friends who helped me and all of my friends out of sticky situations. They'll be able to rescue Roo with no trouble."

"Well~ there might be _**some**_ problems." I nervously said.

"What's wrong Ke'Ania?" Sora asked.

"My magic supply is running low. I don't think I have enough to save Roo and get the both of us down safely." I confessed.

"Oh great. Now what do we do?" Rabbit complained.

"What if Tigger bounces up there and rescues poor Roo?" Owl asked.

"No can do Owl, my man. I'm a good bouncer, but I could never bounce that high."

"What about Sora?" Piglet suggested. "If Sora could use the wind to carry him up there, then he would be able rescue Roo."

"That's a great idea Piglet." Pooh smiled.

"Let's give it a try." Sora cheered.

Sora ran over to the hollow stump and jumped into the blowing wind. I watched as it carried him not even a foot above the opening. "I'm too heavy. We need someone lighter."

"Maybe I could do it." I suggested.

"But I thought you don't have any magic left?" Sora asked.

"Correction. I _**have some**_power left, but not enough to float myself up to Roo. I could use the wind from the stump and then use what little power I do have to push myself the rest of the way." I explained before jumping into the vertical current.

The wind pushed my body a lot further than Sora's, but I wasn't close enough to grab the baby kangaroo. Using the last of my magic, I added more wind, allowing myself to be pushed to the top branch.

"Are you Roo?" I asked.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"I'm Ke'Ania. I've come to bring you back to your Mom." I smiled.

"Are you sure it's safe?"

"I'm positive. Come on. Hop into my arms and I'll bring you back down."

The look on his face made it seem like he was weighing his options. It wasn't long before he hesitantly climbed into my arms. I hugged him close to my chest, but the minute everything seemed fine, the wind beneath me gave out and caused Roo and me to fall. We both screamed in fright as we plummeted to the ground. By natural reaction, I squeezed Roo closer to my chest and closed my gray eyes tightly. It felt like we were falling for a few seconds, but when we didn't hit the ground it made us open our eyes to see that Sora had caught us.

"_Always my knight in red armor."_

"You two alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." I said, turning my head to hide my blush and pink eyes.

Everyone around us cheered. Kanga rushed over and held her son in her arms. "Mama." Roo whispered.

"Oh Roo. I'm so glad you're safe. Thank you Ke'Ania and Sora for rescuing my baby boy."

Sora and I nodded before Rabbit purposely coughed. Both Sora and I were confused… that was, until both of us looked at the position we were in. Sora was sit holding me bridal-style. With an even brighter blush, I jumped out of Sora's arms and rubbed the back of my head.

Everyone was silent for a moment. I could feel their eyes on us. The moment was… awkward. "Shall we head back to the hill? I think the stars are going to come out tonight." Eeyore announced.

…

…

…

The sky had turned dark as we sat on the hill. The stars shined brightly in the navy blue sky.

"I'm so glad that all of my friends are back together again. I don't know what I would've done if I was away from you guys any longer." Piglet said.

"I know how you feel Piglet, but in tough times you have to be even tougher. That way you'll have something to look forward to when you survive it all." Tigger explained with his arms crossed over his chest. "Take me for instance. The best thing about me is that I'm the only Tigger around."

"But, doesn't that ever get lonely?" I asked.

"At first, but after I met and befriended everyone here, I didn't feel alone anymore." Tigger cheered.

"What a wise thing to say Tigger." Rabbit smiled.

I turned to look at the stars before Sora nudged me with his elbow. My green eyes met his unchanging ocean blue ones. We stared at each other, having a nonverbal conversation, before I nodded and stood up.

"Well you guys, looks like we'll be leaving." I smiled.

"Where are you two going?" Kanga asked.

"We have friends waiting on us back home. And once we reunite with them, we still have to find the rest of our friends who are also waiting on us." Sora explained.

They watched as we jumped off the hill and landed safely on the ground. After we started walking, Sora and I stopped by the bridge. When we turned back around, everyone waved their hands in a farewell, including us.

"Come back anytime! We'll always be here… waiting." Pooh smiled.

We nodded at his offer before continuing down the path back to Pooh's house. It took us hours, but when we finally reached our destination, I stopped and turned my head to the sky.

"What's wrong Ke'Ania?"

I just closed my eyes before slowly shaking my head. "Nothing. I just wanted to see the stars in this world… one last time."

The expression on Sora's face was a little bit saddening. I watched as he walked over and stood by my side. "We'll be back."

"I know." I whispered before turning my head back to the stars. _"I wonder what everyone is doing right now?"_ My thoughts were interrupted when I felt Sora take my hand in his. I turned to face him, pink eyes and all. His smile made me smile. I twisted my hand so that caramel fingers could interlock with tan ones. I don't know, nor did I care, how long we stayed like that before our feet took us back home.

…

…

…

"**Ke'Ania! Sora! You're back!"** Goofy smiled.

We nodded before Sora used his Keyblade to seal the keyhole. "So~ What was the world like? Did you attract any cute guys?" Yuffie asked with excitement in her voice.

"Not unless you count being hit on by talking animals." I slightly laughed.

"Come on you guys, Tell us what the world was like." Donald anxiously commanded.

We told them everything that happened in the book, except the last part of course.

"Well, I think I have enough data for that world. Thanks again you two. Oh, by the way…" Merlin started before he pulled out two gems form his robe. "I also found these while I was traveling. I think you could use these more than I ever could."

"What are they?" I asked while looking at the gems in my hands.

"They're summoning gems. Add your magic to the gems and call forth these comrades in your hour of need. This one is called Mushu, he's a powerful dragon. The other one is called Simba, a fierce lion." Leon explained.

"Weren't you supposed to be _**thanking**_ them?" Aerith said.

"For what? What did we do?" Sora asked.

"While you were in the book, Heartless came and tried to take the book. We were overrun, but the minute one of them tried to touch the book, your powers destroyed them and put up a barrier around the house. We didn't think you two were that powerful!" Yuffie cheered.

"Anyway~ Are you two ready to be teleported to your next world?" Merlin asked.

"How about we rest first. I'm physically, mentally, and magically drained." I sighed.

"Ok. I'll set up your rooms at the hotel in the Second District." Leon offered before turning to leave Merlin's house.

At the hotel, we got to relax and rest our bodies and minds. We woke up after sunrise. With Donald, Sora, and Goofy in tow, we made our way to the gate in the First District and boarded the Gummi Ship.

"Ok you guys. I'm going to use my magic to send you off to your next destination, Indian Reserve. Ready?" Merlin asked before we nodded.

His magic surrounded our ship. We all grabbed onto something in an attempt to stay grounded when the ship started to harshly shake. We turned our heads to see what was going on, but the screen just showed us everything in warp speed.

…

…

…

**GROAN**

"Where am I?" I groaned as I woke up. I looked around and saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy still unconscious. The Gummi ship was still in tacked, so I used my magic to cloak it from anyone else's eyes.

When I placed my hands on the ground beneath me, I let the substance run over and through my fingers. _"Sand? Just where the hell did Merlin send us?"_

"_**Hiya."**_


	18. Hidden World

**Chapter 16: Hidden World**

_Recap for the end of Chapter 15:_

_Ke'Ania's P.O.V._

_**GROAN**_

"_Where am I?" I groaned as I woke up. I looked around and saw Sora, Donald, and Goofy still unconscious. The Gummi ship was still in tacked, so I used my magic to cloak it from anyone else's eyes._

_When I placed my hands on the ground beneath me, I let the substance run over and through my fingers. __"Sand? Just where the hell did Merlin send us?"_

"_**Hiya."**_

_Recap over. Onto Chapter 16:_

**Sora's P.O.V.**

**Groan**

When I finally regained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was that we had landed on some kind of beach.

"_Are we back home? Did Marlene make a mistake and send us to my world?"_

"_**Hiya." **_I heard someone say.

I lifted my head to see a tall guy with spiky blond hair holding his hand out toward Ke'Ania. I wasn't too far from Ke'Ania, but I wasn't close enough to see rather or not she was blushing.

"Hi." I heard Ke'Ania stuttered before grasping his hand.

When he hoisted her up, she slipped on the sand and into his arms. "Whoa there. You ok?" The stranger asked. The blush on her face and her pink eyes were full of embarrassment as she nodded. "So, what's your name?"

"Ke'Ania. And yours?"

"I'm Tidus. Nice to meet you." He smiled.

"You too." She smiled back.

A sudden feeling of jealousy rolled over me. _"But, what can you expect when the girl of your dreams is in the arms of __**ANOTHER MAN!**__" _I forced myself on shaky legs and cleared my throat, making sure they knew I was wake.

"Sora!" Ke'Ania cheered as she tore herself away from his grip and ran toward me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I think so." I laughed while scratching the back on my head sheepishly.

"_I had to hide my jealousy from her. I didn't know if she would've liked to see me that way."_

"So anyway… Where are we?" I asked while looking around.

"_**This is Besaid Island."**_ The figure before us stood a tall 6'2", had orange hair, with a tall curved part in the front, and skin just a shade darker than Ke'Ania's. "Yo. I'm Wakka, captain of the Besaid Aurochs, brudda. I hope Tidus over here hasn't been giving you any trouble, ya?" Wakka laughed as he pulled Tidus into a head lock.

"Let go, Wakka. That hurts." Tidus pouted as he pushed the orange haired male off of him.

"So who are you guys anyway?" Said dark skinned man asked. "Never seen ya before."

"I'm Ke'Ania. And this is my friend Sora." Ke'Ania introduced.

**Amen**

All four of us turned around see Donald and Goofy standing behind us.

"I see you forgot us." Donald glared with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Holy shit, it talked!" Tidus and Wakka yelled.

"Of course we talk! What the hell kind of world do you come from!" Donald screamed.

"Now Donald, remember your blood pressure." Goofy tried to calm his friend down.

"Sorry you guys. Wakka, Tidus… these are our other friends. The duck's name is Donald and the dog's name is Goofy." I introduced before Wakka and Tidus started to observe them.

"What in Yevon's name are you?" Wakka wondered as he shook Donald.

"**I'M A DUCK YOU ORANGE HAIRED IDIOT!"**

"So what's it like being a talking dog?" Tidus asked Goofy.

"It's ok I guess. I have always been like this and never stop to ask myself what's it like." Goofy smiled.

Both Ke'Ania and I started at each other for a minute before she captured Wakka's attention. "Wakka… You said that we landed on Besaid Island, right? Well, if you don't mind me asking… What _**is **_Besaid Island." Ke'Ania asked.

"You've never heard of Besaid?" Wakka asked as all four of us shook our heads. "Where exactly are you from?"

"We're not from anywhere near here. We're actually from another world." Ke'Ania explained.

"Oh no…"

"What's wrong Wakka?" Tidus asked.

"If these four can reach our world… then that means that the Darkness has begun to spread here too."

"You've never came into contact with the Darkness or Heartlesses before?" I asked.

"No. The only problems we've been having are with Sin, its spawn, and fiends." Wakka informed.

"Well do you mind feeling us in? I'm curious as to why we would wind up here." Ke'Ania asked.

"No problem. Let me start from the beginning." We waited for Wakka to clear his throat. One thousand years ago, Spira was made up of large and beautiful cities. But, the people in these cities found new ways of making their lives easier. Machina, machines, were built to keep the cities running at full capacity while all the races just lazed around and had fun. This was their paradise. But little did they know that what they created… ended up destroying them in the end. Sin, a giant destructive monster, was born from those people's ignorance. It punished them by destroying and killing everything and everyone the people loved. Sometimes _**they**_ even got killed themselves. It wasn't long before Sin turned Spira's large and beautiful cities into ruble and small villages, like this one. Sure, survivors have tried to rebuild what they had lost, but whenever the city got too big or the people got too comfortable, Sin would come in and destroy everything within seconds. Eventually, people gave up on restoring Spira to its original form and started trying to live the rest of their lives out normally. But no matter what we did, Sin would still attack randomly. In my opinion, Sin is our punishment for letting things get out of hand, eh?" Wakka laughed before shaking his head when no one else laughed with him.

"Anyway… Every day, people ran at the mention or site of Sin. For a moment, people thought that Sin would be the end of Spira. But one day, a High Summoner, named Yu Yevon, came and gave the people of Spira hope. He brought us explanations of life and Sin. Everyone soon accepted his teachings. It was him who said that Sin was our punishment for our vanity and pride. While everyone was adjusting to this new religion, Yu Yevon was preparing to take on Sin. He designed the pilgrimage a Summoner must complete in order to defeat Sin. He was the first to defeat Sin, by using aeons, powerful beings that aided the Summoners in their battles. Once all ten aeons are obtained, the Summoner and their guardians, people who travel with the Summoner and protect them, must then travel to Zanarkand, the first city to be left in ruins by Sin, and obtain the Final Summoning. With the Final Summoning, the Summoner is able to take on and defeat Sin and bring Spira the Calm. Did I lose any of you, or are you five ok?" Wakka asked.

"My head hurts." I groaned as I held my head.

"I think… I got it." Ke'Ania hesitantly said.

"Well then can you please explain it to us?" Tidus asked.

"It's actually quite simple. A thousand years ago, Sin was created to punish the people, from way back when, to punish them for overvaluing their vanity and pride . Even though they fear their punishment, the people thought that they could beat it by ignoring it and picking up from where they left off. But thanks to Sin, it became an impossible feat. Then, this Yu Yevon person came along and helped the people of Spira regain their lost hope through his teachings and what not before he challenged and defeated Sin. Successfully bringing the Calm with his victory. Am I right so far?" Ke'Ania summarized.

"Yeah. That's pretty much what happened in a nutshell." Wakka said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh. It's so simple now." Donald smiled.

"But there is one thing I don't understand… If Yevon defeated Sin… then why is Sin still here and not Yu Yevon?" Goofy asked.

"Well you have to think about it logically. If Yevon was still alive he would be hundreds of years old. He had died of old age. But I'm curious as to why Sin _**is **_still here. And what exactly _**is**_ the Calm?" Tidus asked.

"The Calm is a time of peace that comes with Sin's defeat, but the bad thing is that it only lasts ten years. No matter how many Summoners defeat it… Sin will never truly be defeated." Wakka said in a sad voice.

"Then what's the point of the Calm? It sounds pointless to me." I said with my hands behind my head.

"It makes sense to me." Ke'Ania said from my left side. She had her arms lazily folded under her breasts, eyes closed, and right leg bent and crossed behind her left leg, so that most of her weight was leaning on her left leg.

"How?" Donald asked.

"Well think of it this way. Would you rather live in constant fear of knowing that your life could end at any minute because of Sin, or would you rather have ten years of peace from your worst nightmare?" She asked.

"I guess that's true. Especially when those are your only options." Tidus nodded.

"That's how we Yevonites look at it. But Yevon has told us that if we atone for our past mistakes and stay true to his teachings, then one day Sin will be gone. He even told us which machina to use and which ones we are forbidden to use. So it helps, a little."

"Well, that's good and all, but Wakka, besides having Yevon's teachings and the Calm, isn't there anything else you guys can do to ease the pain and fear?" Tidus asked.

"Well… every year , teams from all over Spira head to Luca and face off against each other in Blitzball."

"Wait. You guys know how to play Blitzball? I love Blitzball!" Tidus cheered.

"What's Blitzball?" Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy, and I asked in unison.

"You guys never heard of Blitzball? Man, you weren't kidding when you said that you were from another world." Wakka sighed before he produced a white and blue ball with lumps on it. "Blitzball is an underwater sport played with this ball, a Blitzball. The goal of Blitzball is to get this ball into the other team's goal by kicking, throwing, or doing special moves. There are two five-minute periods with a short half-time in between them. There are two ways you can win in this game. Get the most points at the end of the second period or by being the first team to score seven points." Wakka explained.

"Oh I get it. So it's kind of like basketball, soccer, and football." I cheered.

"What are those?" Tidus and Wakka asked.

"There all sports people play where we're from. The goal is the same, to get the ball into the other team's goal or basket. But the only catch is each sport has to use a certain part of your body. In basketball you can only use your hands. In soccer you can use your feet. But in football you can use both your hands and feet. The only difference between those sport and Blitzball, is that we don't play our sports underwater." Ke'Ania explained.

"It doesn't matter to me. I liked playing all three. Playing it underwater would be a walk in the park for me." I grinned before hitting my chest.

"All right then, Sora. Show me what you got." Wakka smirked before handing me the ball.

"Prepare to be blown away."

…

…

…

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

The next couple of hours were spent with Sora and Tidus showing off their skills. When Wakka deemed both boys good enough, Tidus, he, and I helped Sora with holding his breath and maneuvering under the water. Thanks to the many practices, games, and contests with Riku, Sora was able to grasp the concept and moves faster than everyone thought.

**Grumble, Rumble**

"Sounds like everyone's hungry. Follow me back to Besaid Village and I'll get you guys something to eat." Wakka offered.

"Hey Ke'Ania… I haven't seen the Gummi Ship. Do you know what happened to it?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry. I disguised it. It's safe. And don't forget, Cid added a special feature that makes the ship come to us when we call for it. Although I have a feeling that we may not be needing it while we're here." I answered.

…

…

…

Wakka lead us from the beach to a cliff where the only thing below it was water. "What's this place? I thought you said we were going back to the village?" Tidus asked.

"We are, but this is the fun way back." Wakka winked before pushing Tidus in.

With on final laugh the orange hair male jumped in after him. "That was totally uncalled for!" Tidus yelled.

"Sorry, brudda, but had to make sure you would jump in. Now, come on you four." Wakka waved.

"I don't want to go down there. It's too high." Goofy trembled before curling into a ball with his hands over his eyes.

"Oh stop being a big baby and jump already." Donald grumbled before pushing Goofy in.

"**GOOFY!"** Sora and I yelled before looking over the edge.

"I'm fine." He mumbled while trying to calm himself.

"_**DONALD DUCK! THAT WAS TOTALLY RUDE AND UNCALLED FOR! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF I DID THAT TO YOU?" **_I scolded.

"Good luck, because _**I'm not going in**_." He huffed with his arms crossed.

"Hey Sora… Wanna see a duck fly?" I smirked before grabbing Donald by the back of his shirt. _**"Go fly duck."**_ I said before throwing said duck over the cliff.

**SPLASH**

"Nice one." Sora smiled.

"Ready?" I offered my hand, which he eagerly took.

We steadied our breaths before jumping in together.

**SLASH**

"Good. Now that everyone's here, onward to Besaid Village."

"Wait. Before we go, I wanna cast a spell." I said. I wrote a capital 'W' in the air before breaking it, causing water spheres to appear around our heads. "There. Now we can all breathe and talk underwater."

"That's amazing. How you do that?" Wakka asked me.

"Magic. Now let's go. I'm starved."

…

…

…

It was silent during most of our underwater swim. But, what shocked us was when Wakka suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong Wakka?" I asked.

"Nothing. I was just going to ask a favor from Tidus and Sora."

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"I would like to ask the two of you to join me on my Blitzball Team. With your skills we're bound to win this year. What do you say? Come on."

"Sure thing." Tidus smiled.

"Yeah. Sounds like fun." Sora grinned.

"This year, the Besaid Aurochs are gonna rock, dudes." All three boys cheered as they high fived each other.

"And I'll be there cheering you guys on." I cheered. In the mists of our cheering, I almost missed the weirdest sound I've ever heard. "Do you guys here that?"

When we all turned around, we gasped when a school of piranhas came at us. Each of us were able to get out of the way in time, but that only made them angrier. Readied to fight, all six of us reviled our weapons and prepared to fight.

Sora, Tidus and Goofy swam towards the dangerous fish and used their weapons to slice them up, causing them to disappear into what looked like a bundle of energy. Wakka threw his Blitzball at his targets. By angling it right, he was able to kill more than one. I used my Keyblades to fight, of course, but when I got irritated by the piranhas' relentlessness, I swam forward and stopped. Right when they were at least a foot from me, I swung my Keyblades and my body in a circle countless times, creating a water tornado in the process.

I smiled, thinking that we had won. "Ke'Ania, look out!" Sora yelled. I turned around quickly and swung my weapons in time to protect myself from more of those pests.

"This is getting ridicules." I groaned.

"I'll handle this." Donald said as he swam toward the second group of piranhas.

My eyes widen when I realized what he was about to do. **"DONALD WAIT! DON'T"** I screamed before quickly casting my anti-thunder spell.

Donald used his lightning magic to kill all of the fish, while almost killing us in the process. "There. That'll learn ya." Donald smirked. "Ouch. Why did you hit me?" He asked while rubbing his head after I punched him in his head.

"**YOU IDIOT! YOU COULD'VE KILLED US. YOU CAN'T USE LIGHTNING MAGIC UNDERWATER! ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T HAVE AN ANTI-THUNDER SPELL ON IT WILL DIE!"** I scolded before continuing my swim with red irises.

"Man… You're scary when you get mad. Wait did your eyes change from green to red?" Tidus asked while following behind me.

"Yeah. It's a special ability she was born with." Sora explained.

"Ha-ha. She reminds me of a woman I know." Wakka laughed.

"Hey Wakka? What were those things just now?" I asked, causing everyone to stop.

"Those are what we call fiends and those balls of energy that they turn into when we defeated them are called Pyreflies. When a person dies, there are multiple things that can happen to them. If their soul is sent by a Summoner or if they die willingly, then they will go to a special place called the Farplane. But, if their death was untimely, if they weren't sent, or if they refused to accept their death or leave the physical world then they become fiends and attack any and everyone in sight." Wakka explained.

"So you mean to tell me that we just killed off a bunch of dead people?" Sora asked.

"Technically. You see, once a person dies and their sole is full of hatred or desire over their own death or toward the people still living, then their Pyreflies will transform them into fiends. At that point… they are no longer human."

"But isn't that wrong?" I asked with blue eyes.

"Yes. But when they attack us, then there is only one thing we can do. We must fight them. If it's not too late, then there's a small chance that that person's soul maybe able to enter the Farplane. So it's not always a bad thing. In a way we're helping them out." Wakka sadly smiled.

"Well, when you put it that way… I guess it's ok." Tidus said with a frown on his face.

"But there is another thing that could happen to someone when they die. It's rare, but it can happen. You see, if a person dies and they have something to do before they pass on and _**if**_ they possess a strong will and feelings, then their Pyreflies will take form of their former appearance and allow them to continue living amongst the living without anyone noticing."

"So, it's basically like they have eternal life?" Donald asked.

"You could say that. All though they do sometimes tire of living between the worlds and eventually go to the Farplane. When someone becomes an unsent, then their powers over the Pyreflies increases, thus allowing them to age however they want. They can stay young forever, or they can age. It's totally up to them."

"That sounds cool." Sora said with amazement in his voice.

"But what happens when someone, who tried to become an unsent, fails?" Tidus asked.

"Their anger increases, because they weren't strong enough to become an unsent, and turns them into the most powerful and most deadliest fiends in all of Spira. But, don't worry. They don't hang around small villages like this. They mostly habit large planes and places, waiting for Summoners and their guardians. They target them the most because they believe that every Summoner, that crosses their path, will try and send them. The sad part is that they're the number one reason why Summoners and their guardians don't get to Zanarkand."

Everything Wakka had said to me started to sink into my head. _"This place may just be the most dangerous of all the worlds. No wonder it slid under our radar."_

…

…

…

"Ugh. I hate having soaked feathers." Donald groaned before turning toward me. "Ke'Ania. Would you please?"

"Hold still." I sighed before lifting my hand.

"What is she going to do?" Tidus asked.

"She's going to dry us off." Goofy answered.

"How she gonna do that?" Wakka asked. Before anyone had time to answer, I snapped my fingers, causing fire to surround our bodies. The flame dried the water from our recent swim before returning to my hand. "Whoa… we're dry."

"That's freakin amazing Ke'Ania. I wish I can do that." Tidus said with awe in his voice.

"You wouldn't want to pay the price of having this power." I mumbled, more to myself, before throwing on a smile. "Come on. I'm ready to eat!" I cheered, closing my eyes to hide my blue eyes.

"What did she mean by that?" I heard Tidus whisper to Sora.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know."

"_And you never will."_

Deciding to change the subject I turned toward Wakka. "So Wakka… What's it like being a Blitzball player?"

"It's fun, but it would be even better if we actually _**won**_ a game. I joined the Besaid Aurochs and Blitzball world at the age of thirteen. Today makes it ten years. We haven't won a game since. We came close last year, but when I went to score the winning goal… I got scared and missed. I had too many things going on in my head, so I decided that this was going to be my last year." Wakka informed.

"_I could tell that he was lying about the getting scared part. There was something else on his mind. I wonder what it was."_

"So, you enlisted us to help you go out with a bang, right?" Sora asked.

"The way you say it makes me sound like I'm using you guys." Wakka laughed.

"Don't worry Wakka. We'll help you bring that cup home, no problem. Think of it as a thank you present from the gang and me." Tidus smiled before patting Wakka's back. Everyone in our little group had a nice smile on our faces.

"Wakka! HEY!" We heard someone call.

"Yo, Gatta, Luzzu. How are you." Wakka greeted.

"Fine, sir." Gatta answered before turning to the rest of us. "Who are they?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that. Luzzu, Gatta, these are my friends Sora, Ke'Ania, Goofy, Donald, and Tidus. Everyone, these are Besaid's own personal Crusaders, Sir Luzzu and Sir Gatta."

"Nice too meet you." I smiled as I shook their hands.

"So, you five are the ones we've heard about." Gatta realized.

"Huh?" Everyone said in unison.

"We had just came back from our patrol on the seas when the members of the Besaid Aurochs told us that there were five strange looking new comers that landed on the beach. Curious as to whom you guys were, we rushed to the village to see if we could catch you before we had to leave again. We're glad you're alright. We thought that you guys were attacked by fiends, but even if you were it's good to see that you made it here safely. If you guys ever need anything, we'll be at the Crusader's Lodge. Please feel free to drop by anytime." Luzzu bowed before heading in the direction of the village with a panting Gatta in tow.

"I guess we're this village's new attraction, huh?" Sora nervously laughed while scratching his cheek.

"Since our village is small and kind of boring, anything that occurs is spread like wild fire. Come on. I think we've delayed lunch time long enough. Last one to the village is overweight Shoopuff!" Wakka laughed.

"I don't even know what that is!" Sora groaned.

"It doesn't matter, aren't you hungry." I laughed as we all raced to Besaid Village.

…

…

…

"Yum. Smells delicious." I said from Wakka's bed.

"Thanks. I'm not the best cook in the village, but I haven't killed anyone yet." Wakka nervously laughed. "The food won't be done for a little while. Why don't you five go explore the village. Go see the village temple or the Crusaders' Lodge. But let's not scare people more than they already are. If word gets out that, not only are we plague by Sin, but also the Darkness, then all of Spira will be thrown into chaos. If anyone asks, just lie and say that you we've been affected by Sin's Toxin. That should allow you to get away with asking questions." The five of us nodded at Wakka's offer. Right when we were about leave, Wakka stopped us. "Wait! I forgot to show you the prayer."

We watched was the orange haired adult stood, held both his arms out on either side of his body before bringing them in front of his chest, as if he was holding a ball, and bowed.

"That's the prayer? It looks more like the Blitzball sign for victory to me." Tidus scoffed while shifting his weight from his right foot to his left. "We used to do it all the time back on Zanarkand."

"Well, when you believe in Yevon it would only make sense as to why it is this world's dominant sport's sign for victory." I said with my right hand on my hip.

"Hey Tidus. When you're around the temples and Yevonites, don't mention Zanarkand. Yevon has said that it's a holy place. And based on the laxed way you talk about it, it may not be wise to even mention it. You might upset a lot of people. Especially if they are strong believers in the history of Sin." Wakka explained.

"So I've been told." Tidus mumbled before walking out of Wakka's home.

"Man. This world's a little fucked up." Sora said while placing his hands behind his head.

"What was it like where you're from, Tidus?" Goofy asked.

"Life was a lot simpler. There was no Yevon, just Blitzball and partying. In my world there was no such thing as sleep or boredom. Just fun. But there's one thing that's been bothering me since I was told the history of Spira." Tidus said with his right hand cuffing his chin.

"What?" Donald asked.

"A friend, who saved me from the temple, I wound up in after my home was attacked, told me that Zanarkand was attacked one thousand years ago. Wakka said that Sin attacked Zanarkand one thousand years ago. I don't understand it. I saw Sin attack Zanarkand. I was there. I remember running for my life. I remember fighting fiends. I remember the explosions. I remember being sucked into Sin. I remember everything, but logically it doesn't fit. I keep thinking that I must've time traveled, but there's more to it than just that. I just know it."

"It seems like everybody is looking for answers on this journey. Don't worry though, Tidus. You'll get your answers to your questions… eventually."

"You really think so, Ke'Ania?" Tidus asked.

"I know so." I smiled before rolling my neck. "So, where to first, boys?"

"How about that der temple?" Goofy suggested.

…

…

…

When we walked into the temple, most of Besaid's population was on their knees in front of statues, praying to Yevon. The temple looked bigger on the outside than the inside. Everyone scattered and mingled amongst the village people, but I wasn't really paying attention to them. My mind was set on the large statues before me. The two above me were magnificent. One was a woman who, looked like, she was flying toward the man perpendicular to her. While observing the figures above me, my foot hit something hard. In front of me was the statue of a man dress in long spiked out robes and holding a staff.

"_I wonder who is he?"_

I wondered further into the temple until I stood in front of some stairs that led to a double door.

"_I wonder what's up there. Who's singing that song?"_

It felt like whoever was singing that song was drawing me to the secrets behind that door. But right when I got half way up the stairs, everyone gasped. With my right foot on the seventh step, I turned around to stare at Besaid's people stare and whisper in fear.

"What is she doing?" "Has she gone mad?" "She's a heathen!" I heard them say.

"What did she do?" Sora asked, making Tidus, Donald, and Goofy shrugged.

"You there, girl! What do you think you are doing?" A bald man dressed in black, green, orange, and white robes called, causing me to turn and look at him from my perch.

"I don't know. What _**am **_I doing?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

"You're about to violate one of Yevon's rules." The man said with a glare.

"Which would be…?"

"You heathen! Everyone knows that only guardians and Summoners are allowed beyond those doors!" The bald priest yelled at me.

While I let his words sink into my mind, my irises turned red as I descended to the bottom of the stairs. "Listen baldy. I don't appreciate being called a heathen, so I suggest you take it back right now before I take that statue's staff and shove it up your~"

"You'll have to excuse her behavior, Mr. Priest." Sora nervously laughed before he placed his hand over my mouth while also wrapping his other arm around my middle.

"Yeah. You see, the five of us were affected badly by Sin's… Toxin, yeah that's it. So our heads are a little messed up and we forgot a lot of stuff. Sorry." Tidus explained before nervously laughing too.

"You were affected by Sin's Toxin? I'm so sorry about that, my child. Please allow us to pray for you in apology for our behavior." The Priest, along with everyone in the temple, bowed while performing the prayer.

"I guess." I sighed as I was released from Sora's grip. "But, only if you answer some of my questions."

"Anything you want, young lady."

"Just _**what is **_behind those doors?" I asked.

"Through those doors lies the Cloister of Trails, which leads to the Chamber of the Fayth. In there, the Summoner must combine with the Fayth and receive the aeon together."

"Who are all these statues dedicated to?" I asked again.

"To all of the past Summoners, who have stood and fought against Sin. This statue over here is of High Summoner Lord Braska, the last Summoner who fought Sin. And the two large statues above us are of Lady Yunalesca, Yu Yevon's daughter and the first person to defeat Sin, and her husband, Lord Zaon." The Priest answered.

"Wait. I thought Yu Yevon was the first to defeat." Sora asked.

"There have been rumors, but the records were last due to time, along with the people's memories. The truth is that Yu Yevon gave us his teachings before mysteriously disappearing. After his disappearance, his only child, Lady Yunalesca took her father's place and became the first to defeat Sin."

Everyone nodded at the explanation, but II could sense that there was something he wasn't telling us. _"What exactly are these ranked Yevonites hiding."_

"I just have one last question… What is that singing coming from behind those double doors?" I asked while pointing to said doors.

"The song you hear now is known as the Hymn of the Fayth. It is meant to sooth the souls of the dead and the hearts of the faithful. Now that I've answered all of your questions… Do you mind answering one question for me. What gender you hear singing?" The look in the Priest's eyes let me know that he was very interested in my answer.

"Well it sounds female, but I can't judge based on voices since some guys can sing like girls." I answered frankly.

"A female's voice? Oh no you are mistaken. Sin's Toxin must be making you very tired. Sleep you must, now." The Priest said with confusion and disbelief.

"I'm not tired! I know what I heard! I heard a girl singing, so now I'm demanding you tell me what that means~!" I shouted before Sora, Donald and Goofy silenced me by trying to holding me.

"You are right, Mr. Priest man. In fact, Wakka is cooking us something to eat. We'll rest afterwards. Thank you, sir. Come on guys. Let's go see if our food is done." Tidus nervously laughed as he ushered us out of the temple.

…

…

….

"You can put me down now." I sighed in defeat.

"What happened back there? Why did you threaten a _**PRIEST**_?" Sora asked while they put me down on the temple's steps.

"I don't like the way he was acting" I answered with my arms crossed.

"Ke'Ania's right. Did you see how he acted when Ke'Ania answered his question? It was almost as if he was weirded out by the fact that she could hear the girl singing." Tidus pondered.

"You heard it too, Tidus?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, but it was very faint."

"I wonder what it means?" I questioned to myself.

"Good hearing?" Goofy suggested.

"That can't be it, because then, being a dog, you would've heard it too, right?" I responded.

"Maybe Wakka may know. Here he comes now." Sora announced before said orange haired man approached.

"Hey. I've been looking for you guys everywhere. It's time to eat." Wakka announced before the boys cheered.

"Hey Wakka. What does it mean if a person can identify the gender of the Fayth, just by hearing it sing?" I asked.

"It's rare, but not unheard of. It just means that the Fayth thinks that there's something special in you. But, Summoners usually get this ability when they become full-fledged Summoners. Why?"

"No reason… just curious. So… about this food…"

…

…

…

The dinner, Wakka fixed, was delicious to say the least. While eating, everyone chatted and got to know each other, increasing our overall friendship. After dinner, everyone except Wakka fell asleep. My body felt relaxed until I woke up to the sounds of someone grunting. Rolling over, I saw Tidus tossing and turning on the floor. Rolling my eyes and clearing them of any crust, I noticed that Wakka was nowhere to be found.

"_Where did Wakka go?"_

After stretching like a cat, I sat up on the bed and looked around the room to find Tidus, Sora, Donald, and Goofy snoring like the men they are. Taking the nearest pillow, I threw it at Sora's head.

"**I wasn't touching Ke'Ania while she was sleeping!"**

"What?" I asked the stunned boy.

"Did you hear that?" Sora asked.

"You said it so fast I barely caught it. What _**did **_ say?" I smirked.

"Uh… Oh hey Wakka's gone." The brunette changed the subject.

While Sora was talking, I used my water magic to wake everyone else up before drying them off.

"What's going on?" Donald panicked.

"Calm yourself, Ducky. I just woke you guys up because Wakka's gone missing." I explained with a sigh. "And now that you're up, we can go looking for him."

…

…

…

As a group, we decided to split up and search for the orange haired adult.

"Did you find him?" I asked them.

"He's not on the beach." Tidus panted.

"He's not by the cliff." Donald and Goofy announced.

"And he's not on the other road that leads to the beach." Sora said.

"Luzzu, Gatta, and none of the shopkeepers haven't seen him either. The only place we haven't tried is~"

"The temple ." We all said in unison.

…

…

…

"There you are Wakka. We've been looking for you everywhere." I asked as the five of us approached him and the bald priest from earlier.

"Oh sorry guys, but the priest needed me." Wakka apologized.

"What's going on?" Tidus asked.

"The summoner went into the Chamber of the Fayth a day ago and hasn't come back out yet. Everyone is really worried." Wakka explained.

"Is it dangerous in there?" Goofy trembled.

"Sometimes yes." Wakka answered.

"So, why don't you go in there and help?" Donald asked.

"It's against the Laws of Yevon. I am as powerless as the people of this village. The only thing I can do is wait." Wakka informed.

"But what if the summoner dies, Wakka? What then?" I asked.

"… … There's nothing I can do… …" The five of us let the problem sink into our heads before Sora, Tidus, Donald, and Goofy ran up the stairs. "Where do you guys think you're going?" Wakka yelled while shaking his fist.

"If you're not going to go and save them, then we will! You coming, Ke'Ania?" Sora asked as he stared into my black irises.

"I already got one strike against me. Why not make it too." I smirked before walking to join Sora at his side.

"You heathens! The Laws of Yevon must be followed to the "T"!" The priest screamed.

"Yo gramps. Chill out. We're doing this village a favor. You should be grateful that _**someone**_ has enough bravery to check on the summoner and their guardians." I sighed in irritation before following the boys into the Closter of Trials.

…

…

…

"I'm starting to think that this was a bad idea." I mumbled from the back of the group.

"What the hell is this shit? It's just one long room with torches as its only light source!" Sora groaned in frustration.

"Maybe there's a secret passageway to another room?"

"Goofy's right. All we have to do is look for it." Tidus smiled before he joined the boys in there search.

While watching them, the words of the priest started to nag at the back of my head. _"I don't like all these secrets. I wonder if we'll find the truth behind this __**religion**__."_

"We can't find it." Donald sighed in defeat.

"I'm going to be really mad if it's something so simple." I said with my hands on my hips. The boys held a defeated expression. I wanted to give up too, but then I saw words on the wall. "What are these?" I asked myself as I stepped closer.

"Find something Ke'Ania?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah. I wonder what these words mean." I said as I pointed to them. The boys crowded around me as I tried to read the words. But when I reached out to touch them, they disappeared. "What the fuck just happened?" I panicked.

"**LOOK!"** Donald called, catching everybody's attention.

"That _**defiantly**_ wasn't there before." Sora commented about the sign.

"It must have appeared after Ke'Ania touched those words." Goofy suggested.

"Well if that's true, then I wonder what will happen if I touch the sign~" When I touched the sign, it disappeared before making a part of the wall slide down. "A passageway? Did I do that?"

"_**When you touched the Glyph, it made the secret passageway open up."**_ A serious voice caused each of us to jump and turn toward its owner.

"Wakka? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I came to stop you, but now I see that it's too late for that." He sighed before running his hand over his face. "Do you realize that, because of your actions, the Summoner will be punished for it?" He glared.

"We're sorry Wakka, but we couldn't just sit around and wait to find out if the Summoner had died or not." Sora explained.

"I know how you feel, brudda." Wakka sighed one more time. "Well I guess there's nothing we can do about it now. Come on. Let's keep going."

"Hey. With Wakka here, solving this trail should be easy, right?" Tidus cheered.

"Sorry brudda, but I've never been through here before."

"Damn. That means were S.O.L." Sora groaned.

"What does that mean?" Everyone asked.

"It means Shit out of Luck." I explained.

"Well you may not be as S.O.L. as you think. Just because I've never through here, doesn't mean I don't know anything about temples. Take this sphere for instance…" Wakka smirked as he led us further into the temple. We walked down some stairs until we came to a stone pedestal sticking out of the wall. On the pedestal, laid a green glowing sphere. We watched in awe as Wakka picked it up.

"What is that?" Donald asked.

"This is known as a Glyph Sphere. This sphere is like your key to get to the rest of the spheres and further into the temple."

"There are other spheres?" I asked.

"Yes. You see, every temple has three spheres: a Glyph Sphere, a Destruction Sphere, and finally that temple's own personal sphere. Of course, in this temple, you'll find the Besaid Sphere. Now don't get those two confused. They're similar in color, but of course the Besaid Sphere will only work in two temples, here and in the temple of Bevelle. That's the main temple and heart of Spira and Yevon." Wakka explained.

"Ok. Now, based on its name, I might feel stupid for asking this, but what does the Destruction Sphere _**actually**_ do?" Sora asked.

"Don't worry. A lot of people make the mistake of overstressing that sphere. The only thing it does is lead you to secrets within the temple and sometimes more spheres."

"Well, now that we've been further educated on the temples of Spira, shall we continue?" I asked before continuing through the temple.

After traveling down some more stairs, Wakka used the Glyph Sphere to unlock a double door. When we passed through the now opened doors, I grabbed the green sphere for later use. When we turned a corner, Sora noticed a circular hole on the left wall with the same white, glowing words above it from before.

"Hey look another hole. I wonder if the Glyph Sphere goes here?" Sora asked.

"Let's find out." I said before inserting the sphere into the hole. We waited for a few seconds before the section of the wall, with the sphere inserted into it, lifted up and reveled a another stone pedestal with a purple sphere attached to it. "This must be the Destruction Sphere. I wonder where it will lead us?"

"Hey! Look what I found!" Goofy yelled. We turned another corner and became wedged between two walls. The right wall had a Glyph while the left one trapped stone pedestal inside of it.

"Hey look! Another wall!" Donald announced.

Around the final corner was another large wall with three glowing, white symbols on it. "I wonder what we should do first?" Goofy asked while standing in his signature thinking pose.

"Well, based off of what Wakka has said about temples, we know one thing for sure. There is a room behind one of these walls. We just have to figure out which one it is." I explained.

"Wakka. Didn't you say that the Destruction Sphere will lead us further into the temple and to hidden treasures within the temple? Well what if we stick the Destruction Sphere into the stone pedestal that's in the wall?" Tidus suggested.

"That wouldn't work. You see, even though the information I gave was correct, there's a catch to it… The Destruction Sphere gets its name from its destructive ability. You see, when you insert that particular sphere into the wrong place, it'll cause a big explosion. Everyone within reach will be seriously wounded. But, if you stick it in the right place, then a purple line will appear and cause an explosion to occur. The only difference is that the explosion created, by sticking said sphere in the right place, is only a temporary illusion that allows the Summoner or their guardians to step threw a solid wall and collect the treasures that lie within." Wakka explained. "And don't even think about sticking the Destruction Sphere into the wrong hole and using it to blow up the wall won't work. The only thing you'll get is an emptied room. You need that temple's sphere. That's the only way you'll be able to find the passageway to the Chamber of the Fayth."

"So much for my plan." Tidus grumbled.

"Well… at least that makes our choice a whole hell of a lot easier." I said.

"What do ya mean?" Sora asked.

"It's simple. If you think back to the stone pedestal we found the Destruction Sphere in, then you would've noticed that the Destruction Sphere didn't do anything. And if you look on the wall, around the corner, you'll notice that there isn't a Glyph for us to touch. So now that we've narrowed it down to two places, I suggest that we pick the safest way and touch the Glyph first." I explained, causing all of them to nod.

Tidus moved to touch the Glyph. We waited for the Glyph to disappear before the wall lifted up and reviled an emptied room with glowing lines all connecting to a sphere nesting in the wall.

"Well, looks like you made the right choice. Before you lies the Besaid Sphere." Wakka announced as he pointed toward the glowing pale green sphere that is connected by the glowing lines.

Tidus moved to retrieve said sphere. We watched as the lines stopped glowing after he removed the sphere from its hold. My green eyes observed each line as their light disappeared, but the longest line caught my attention. It came from the hole in the wall and made a straight line as it climbed to the top of the wall. It made me think of the possibilities if I were to stick the Destruction Sphere into the hole.

"_Well, only on way to find out."_

"Ke'Ania. What are you doing?" Sora asked me.

"An experiment." I answered before carrying out my plan.

When I stuck the sphere into the hole, the longest line lit up with a purple color before an explosion was heard.

"What did you do?" Donald asked as we all raced out of the room.

"I wanted to see if the Destruction Sphere was supposed to go there." I nervously laughed with pink, embarrassed eyes.

"Well, look at what you've done. Now there's a wall that's blown up in the temple!" Donald squawked loudly.

"Who you yelling at!" I yelled back with my fist clenched and eyes burning red.

"Wait a minute guys. I think Ke'Ania actually did it right." Wakka said, causing us to walk around the final corner and toward the missing wall. "Look. Because you stuck the sphere into that hole, you caused the illusion explosion I was telling you about earlier. You've done it, Ke'Ania! You found Besaid Temple's treasure!" Wakka cheered as he opened the chest below the Destruction Sphere's sign on the wall.

Inside the chest was a large cloth made of a pink silk-like material and a small black headband with tan wings at the top. "Those are the treasures?" I asked as I held up the headband. "To be honest, the silk didn't surprise me, but the headband did. It looks only wearable for a little girl. Why would something like that be in here?"

"It has to do with the Fayth. You see, in each temple there are treasures for each summoner. The first is a silk cloth, woven together so that the summoner can carry each treasure from temple to temple. When appetence summoners finish their training, their guardians and they must find the treasures hidden within the temple. The summoners must only take the first cloth they see. You know, out of respect for the other Summoners. The other treasures are personal items that once belonged to the Fayth while they were still living. Each temple possesses five of their Fayth's personal items. My guess is that the Fayth here, in Besaid, is a little girl who either dreamed of flying or had a fascination with the creatures that soared through the sky." Wakka explained.

"But, if each temple only has five treasures, then won't they run out of treasures for the summoners?" Tidus asked.

"No. You see, once news gets out that Sin has been defeated, that summoner's guardian and the other summoners are required to bring the temple's treasures back. And besides… Summoners are in _**short**_ supply these days, anyway." I choose not to say anything when I caught the sadness in Wakka's voice. "Well, shall we continue." Wakka said with a forced smile on his lips.

Sad tension made itself known, but none of us voiced anything as we continued on. Once Wakka collected the Besaid Temple's treasures, the six of us turned our attention to the lone sphere in Tidus's hand.

"We're down to the Besaid Sphere. Tidus… would you do the honors?" I lightly smiled to the blond.

Tidus nodded his head before placing said sphere onto the stone pedestal, trapped within the wall before us. The five of us gasped in surprise when said wall disappeared, freeing the pedestal. Wakka stepped toward the pedestal before pushing it onto a, more outlined, square. Once the pedestal was properly placed, it started sinking into the floor. After the Besaid Sphere reached the ground, a red circle with a blue outline, blue circle in the middle, four triangles, and four circles with symbols inside of them appeared before us.

"He-he. I never thought that I would be aiding people in breaking the Laws of Yevon." Wakka lightly laughed.

"Boy. I can just imagine this Yevon guy rolling over in his grave because of us." I lightly laughed too. "So what law are we breaking now?"

"It's more of a tradition than a law. Only apprentice summoners, summoners, and their guardians are allowed into the Chamber of the Fayth, let alone the Closter of Trials." Wakka explained.

"You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would." Tidus said with one hand on his hip.

"It's because I'm really the only one _**allowed**_ down here."

"Wait a minute. I thought you said that only three types of people are allowed here?" I asked as I cocked my head in confusion.

"I am a guardian."

"Why didn't you tell us before?" Sora asked.

"It slipped my mind." Wakka shrugged. "Come on. We've gotten this far. Let's see what the Chamber below looks like."

We filed onto the platform. I don't know if it was our weight that caused the thing to jerk, but when it did, I practically jumped into Sora's arms for protection. _"It doesn't matter how strong I am or become… I don't think I'll ever break out of that habit. It's not like I'm complaining anyway."_

The ride was slow, but not boring. I closed my eyes and allowed the female Fayth's voice to lull me to relaxation. "This is the female voice I heard when we were in the temple." I whispered.

"You could actually make out the gender of the Fayth while you were in the upper level of the temple? Wow. I've heard that there are a few chosen ones, besides summoners, that have that ability, but they're as rare as a Chocobo on Mt. Gagazet. Although it doesn't surprise me that strangers, not from Spira, would posses such a useful ability."

"Quick question and totally off topic, but um… What _**exactly**_ _**happens**_ in the Chamber of the Fayth?" Sora asked.

"The summoner must enter another room in order to reach the Fayth. Their guardians are to stand guard outside. The two guardians in there now are deadly. One of them has a _**short**_ fuse. The other one… he's more of the silent but deadly type." Wakka nervously laughed. When the platform finally arrived at its destination, Wakka led us into the Chamber of the Fayth before running a hand over his face.

"_Was he afraid or nervous about something?"_

"_**What are you doing here? Didn't think we could handle it? You really should have more faith in your fellow guardians, Wakka."**_

My eyes widen when I saw the two guardians stationed by a set of stairs. One was a _**very **_tall blue lion like creature. The other one was a woman with _**very large**_ breasts, moonlit pale skin, and long black hair that was braided and wrapped in a high bun with at least four braids hanging off her shoulders and down to her butt. The woman glared at Wakka as she strolled over to us.

"Is the summoner alright?" Tidus asked with concern laced in his voice.

My brown eyes narrowed in confusion when I saw the woman pale. Her eyes became distant as she gazed at Tidus.

"_She looked like she had seen a ghost or something."_

"Who are you, stranger?" The raven haired woman asked.

Before Tidus could answer, we all turned our attention to the top of the stairs. The cloth like door opened and reviled a very pretty tanned skinned woman. She was dressed in a blue pleated, flower-patterned dress, black boots, a black spaghetti-string camisole under a white sash of material that wraps around her neck and over her chest, a yellow patterned Obi with a Chōchō musubi knot and a decorative Obidome to clinch the cords. Two separate, kimono-like, sleeves hanging from her upper arms complete the white and blue ensemble and a silver pendent around her neck.

"_That must be the summoner."_

I could see a thin layer of sweat rolling down from her forehead, face, and chest. Due to her dizzy spell, when she reached the top of the stairs, she fell. We gasped in horror, but right before anyone could do anything, the large blue lion caught her in his strong arms. Tidus sighed in relief louder than any of us. After the summoner released herself from the lion's grasp, she silently thanked him before fixing her skirt and flipping her hair. The smile on her face was that of pride and success. I think what caught my attention the most were her eyes. The left iris was blue while the right one was green.

"_I thought I was the only one with different eyes."_

…

…

…

"A new summoner has been born!" "Sin will be defeated in no time!" The villagers cheered before following the group out of the temple.

"Well I'm shocked." Sora confessed with his hands on his hips.

"Me too. This whole time I kept thinking that the summoner was this old and wrinkled man. I had never expected it to be a beautiful girl. I think I just found something else interesting about Spira." Tidus smirked before walking out of the temple.

…

…

…

"Over here!" Wakka yelled to us.

"Ouch!" Tidus and Sora cried when Wakka placed them in a headlock. "We can't see!" The duo cried before removing themselves from Wakka's grip.

"Watch this. You ready?" Wakka yelled to the brunette woman.

She brought her blue staff to her chest before spreading her arms and legs out. Her right one behind her. Her left one in front of her. Everyone gasped when, below her, a transparent version of the platform's design started to spin before four balls of light shoot out of the ground and into the clouds. Suddenly, after the energy balls combined in the air, a large creature appeared and flew toward its summoner. The creature looked like a flying dragon with tan wings, purple outline, tail, sharp claws , and...

"Are those boobs?" The boys yelled.

"Yep. It's because Valfor's, the aeon before us, Fayth is a girl." Wakka explained.

"How could you people _**not **_be afraid of _**that**_?" Donald asked from behind Goofy.

"They really are gentle and powerful beings. They only attack what their summoner asks them too. You see, when a summoner enters the Chamber of the Fayth, they must pray hard for a way to defeat Sin. If the prayer is heard, then the Fayth will loan their power to the summoner. It's kind of like a contract. The summoner borrows the Fayth and aeons' powers and in return, the Fayth are freed from their hold." Wakka explained.

I nodded my head in understanding before I turned my head back to the aeon and its summoner. The unnamed summoner was gently petting the being's head and spikes. The aeon allowed this and even leaned into the girl's touch.

"_It was weird. Despite having the appearance of a monster, I could sense a clam and gentleness coming from Valfor. It's no wonder the people of this world are not afraid of these things."_

Once the brunette retracted her hand, everyone cheered for her. Wakka and the raven haired woman ran up to the summoner and embraced her. I could tell that they were proud of her.

…

…

…

That night, under the starry sky in Besaid Village, everyone celebrated the summoner's accomplishment with a bonfire, food, and drink. In the distance, I could hear the Besaid Aurochs cheering from the energy they were feeding off of Wakka, Tidus, and Sora. My green eyes fell on Tidus's form. Even though everyone around him was still cheering, his mind seemed to be on the female summoner, we met in the Chamber of the Fayth. I actually lightly giggled when Tidus blushed because said summoner smiled at him.

"_Looks like someone has a crush on the summoner."_ I smirked to myself.

After the team finished cheering, I saw Tidus make his way over to the brunette with Sora in tow. Thinking quickly, I used my wind magic to carry Sora to my side before dropping him on his butt.

"Ouch. What did you do that for? I wanted to go met the summoner." He whined as he rubbed and dusted off his butt.

"Stop whining. You should be grateful. I just saved you from an awkward moment." I answered.

"What do you mean?"

Sora followed my gaze over to the pair o teens. "Can't you tell? They like each other."

"How do you know?" He asked before returning his gaze back to me.

"The shyness he's displaying. The blushing she's doing. Their body language. The smiles they have on their faces. Pick one."

"I see. Since when did _**you**_ become such an expert on these things?" My crush smirked at me.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out this kind of stuff out. If you were spending time with the person you _**like**_… wouldn't you want to be left alone?" My voice was reduced to a whisper when I realized that, somehow, Sora and I moved closer to each other.

If I had to guess, there was no more than a foot between us. My pink eyes gazed into his ocean blue orbs as my cheeks started to heat up when Sora flashed me one of his genuine smiles.

"Well, I don't know about you, but if it was me… _**I wouldn't want anyone to interrupt this moment**_." Through his kissable lips, Sora's indirect confession slipped out as a sweet moan.

"Lady Yuna, come play with me some more." A child's voice called, causing the brunette summoner to nod and smile at said child. Both Sora and I turned our attention back to the couple on the other side of the bonfire.

"So… Her name's Yuna. That's nice." Sora commented, effectively changing the subject.

"I wonder what she must've said to make him blush like that?" I smirked as I watched Yuna leave a blushing and shocked Tidus behind.

"She's cute, ya?" Wakka smiled while elbowing Tidus in his armored covered arm. By this time, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I made our way over to the two friends.

"Cute? She's beautiful. I don't think I've seen a more beautiful woman. The blond confessed.

"Yeah well, don't get no ideas." Wakka warned in a big brother tone.

"I can't make a promise like that, big guy. Especially if she comes onto me, then I really won't be able to help myself." Tidus smirked before I electrocuted him. "What was that for?"

"Stop being so perverted Tidus." I warned before turning to Wakka. "So, Yuna is your summoner, huh? How did you two meet?"

"Ten years ago, when Yuna was seven, Kimahri Ronso, the blue lion you saw earlier, brought her here, to Besaid, to live out the rest of her days. Lulu, the raven haired woman, and I became her first friends when we found out that we shared one important thing. The three of us have lost our parents because of Sin. We clicked like that and later became a family. Sometimes it wasn't easy for us to protect her because of all the trouble and worry she would get us in." Wakka laughed.

"_Sounds like Raven, Saedi and I."_

"So… You're like her older brother. Ha. Looks like I'll have to get through you if I want to get to her." Tidus laughed before I shocked him with a little bit of lightning again. "Ouch. I wish you would stop shocking me."

"That's what happens when you don't listen to my warnings." I sighed while closing my eyes and folding my arms.

"Ha. She has the same temper as Lulu. Vicious." Wakka smiled.

"Yeah. And it's gets even funnier since it's so easy to rile her up." Donald laughed along with the rest of the boys.

Lulu just so happened to be walking by when her ears caught the comment. I could feel anger radiating off of her. She could probably sense the same feeling as she stood next to me. Our red eyes locked. It felt as though we were having a private conversation and understanding. She summoned fire to both of her hands while surges of lightning started to run over my entire body.

"_**What was that you were saying?"**_ The both of us hissed at the group of boys before us. Every muscle in their bodies tensed as they turned toward us with scared expressions. Realizing the situation before them, the five boys started to back away with each step we took toward them.

"We didn't mean anything by it." Goofy stuttered.

"Yeah Lulu, you know that I would _**never**_ call you vicious if I valued my life." Wakka trembled.

"Please don't roast me." Donald shivered from behind Tidus.

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Tidus sobbed.

"_**Run."**_ Lulu and I growled.

"MOMMY!"Sora cried before the five boys started running. Lulu used her fire magic to burn Wakka, Donald, and Goofy while I used my lightning magic to shock Tidus and Sora.

"You never learn. Do you Wakka?" Lulu sighed.

"That'll teach you to call me vicious." I huffed while dusting my hands off.

"I'm starting to wonder how we're still alive with _**those two**_ around." Tidus groaned.

"You're pretty skilled in the art of lightning magic. Who taught you?" Lulu asked me.

"No one. It… just comes natural to me." I grinned while rubbing the back of my head sheepishly.

"Really? That's pretty impressive for someone who is self taught. Can you do other magic?"

"Yes, but I'm still learning. But I seem to be getting better with each passing day." I confessed.

"That's good. Magic users are very useful when battling fiends. Do you know if you and your… companions?... will be traveling with us?"

"I guess we are. We're not from here, so we're kind of dependent on Wakka as of right now." I informed.

"Well tomorrow we'll be getting on a boat to sail to the next town. It'll be nice having the four of you as traveling companions for the time being. Do you have a place to stay for the night?" Lulu asked.

"I had already reserved space at the Crusader's Lodge for them. It's getting late, so I think we should all turn in for the night. Tomorrow begins Yuna's pilgrimage. We need to be well rested if we want to protect her and ourselves from fiends." Wakka explained.

"He's right. I bid you six good night. I'll be looking forward to hearing about you…"

"Ke'Ania." I inserted.

"Ke'Ania. I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early." Lulu lightly smiled before walking off into another hut.

"She seems nice." I commented.

"Yeah. When she wants to be. Now, come one kiddies. Time for bed." Wakka commanded.

…

…

…

That night, none of us could sleep. Some were excited. Others were suffering from insomnia.

"_**He's dead, ok? Dead. What part of that don't you understand?"**_

"That sounds like Lulu." I whispered.

"_**I know, but I couldn't help myself."**_

"That's Wakka." Donald announced.

"Come on. Let's go see what's going on with those two." Tidus suggested.

We stood on the side of the curtain and listened in on their conversation.

"_**He looked so much like him… I couldn't refuse when he needed my help."**_

"_**You're right. Chappu and Tidus do have some similarities, but they are not the same. Chappu died a while ago. We've all learned to accept it. Why can't you."**_ Lulu's voice almost sounded pleading.

"_**I have!"**_ Wakka yelled, surprising us all, before running a frustrated hand through his hair. _**"Look. I know that Tidus is not my little brudda, but he still needed my help. I promised myself that I would never turn my back on anyone who needed my help."**_

Everything was silent for a minute before Lulu sighed in defeat. _**"Do what you wish, Wakka. I just hope you know what you're doing."**_ Lulu didn't give Wakka time to respond before she turned around and strolled away from him with her dress trailing behind her.

"_**Lulu."**_ Wakka called, causing said woman to stop where she stood. _**"Earlier, when you said that you were looking forward to having Ke'Ania and her group of friends as traveling companions… why did you leave out Tidus? Is it because you're not over Chappu as much as you think?"**_

I could tell that the air surrounding them was thick with tension. Lulu's short raven bangs covered her crimson eyes as she lowered her head before continuing her walk.

…

…

…

"Who's Chappu, Wakka?" Goofy asked.

"Whoa. You guys scared me." Wakka gasped when he grabbed his chest.

"Sorry." Goofy apologized with his head hung low.

"It's ok." Wakka tilted his head back with a sigh before focusing back on us. "Chappu was my little brudda. He looked a lot like Tidus. That's why Lulu, Yuna, and I gasped when we first saw you." The orange haired man said with his attention more so on Tidus than Sora, Goofy, Donald, and I.

"How did he die?" Tidus asked.

The question seemed to hit Wakka in the heart. I was about to scold Tidus for asking such a question, but Wakka stopped me.

"It's ok Ke'Ania. Talking about his death doesn't really bother me anymore." Wakka took a deep breath before starting his story. "The day before the Crusaders left, Chappu came to Lulu, Kimahri, Yuna, and I and said that he was leaving with them. Lulu probably took the news harder than any of us. They… were supposed to be getting married when he got back. But after a few months, when we were in Luca and getting ready for last year's Blitzball tournament, Luzzu found us and told us that he had died."

"I knew you were lying." I interrupted.

"Huh?"

"When you told us about why you missed the winning goal. I knew you weren't telling us the whole truth. His death was the last thing you wanted to hear before you shot that winning goal, huh?" I asked while taking a seat on a vacant bed.

Wakka nodded. "Anyway. Everyone was devastated. We didn't know where to go from there. Life just seemed to go slower with each passing day. It was during this time, Yuna decided to become a summoner. She wants to defeat Sin so that no one will have to go through the lost of a loved one during those ten years Sin is dormant. And as her family… Lulu, Kimahri, and I decided to become her guardians." Wakka sighed. I could tell that he was using all of his strength to hold back his tears.

"Is that why you're giving up Blitzball?" Donald asked.

"Yeah. It was his favorite sport. It doesn't feel right continuing to play when my brudda can't, you know." The smile Wakka wore was forced, but it didn't last long when he lowered his gaze to the wooden floor.

The air above us was thick. Everyone could sense the sadness Wakka was experiencing right in front of us. Sora and Tidus moved to place their hands on Wakka's trembling shoulders while smiling at him.

"Sorry about your brother Wakka. We wish we could bring him back, but there is something we _**can**_ do to help cheer you up." Sora smiled.

"Oh yeah?" Wakka's smile was real as he whipped away his tears. "What's that?"

"We're going to help you bring home that trophy. It deserves to be here where we can use it as a memorial for Chappu. How does that sound?" Tidus smiled.

Wakka's redden eyes widen in surprise before returning his friends' smiles. "Thanks you guys. If Chappu was alive… I'm sure he would've loved to have met you guys.

"It's the least we could do." Sora said while widening his smile.

"_Those two… really know how to brighten someone's mood."_ I smiled to myself while whipping a lone tear from my green eyes.


	19. Bonus Chapter for Me

**Author's Note: **This chapter is an extra one I felt like writing as a present from myself for my birthday, which was May 8th. Teehee. Enjoy.

P.S.: The lyrics to the song will be in _**bold italics**_. When you see a colon after a line in the lyrics that means that whatever is typed below it is happing while the lyrics are playing.

**Example: **

_**I see the pretty girl**_

_**She stands alone**_

_**She stands alone:**_

Sally stood in her perfectly pressed white dress on a hill as the wind blew her hair to and fro. She waited or her lost love to return, but sadly… he did not.

**Bonus Chapter for Me**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

That night, I kept tossing and turning. I couldn't sleep. I wasn't having a nightmare, but my insomnia might be considered one. Sighing as I got out of bed, I stretched my back, arms and legs until they popped back into place. I reached down to grab my red tennis shoes so that I could lace them on my feet. I quietly exited the Lodge. The village was quite. Its inhibiters had already drifted off to their dreams, happy or not. The only sounds were that of the many creatures within this world. Throwing caution into the wind, I began my journey outside of the village. Some people would've considered it risky, but I could take care of myself. I was fine without Sora or anyone else as my babysitter. I didn't summon my Keyblades. I wasn't looking for a fight. Although I was very surprise when I wasn't attacked.

"_I guess even fiends have to sleep sometimes."_

My legs and feet carried me to the beach. Even in my home town, whenever I was feeling sad or whatever, my legs and feet knew to take me to the beach. The water in front of me looked so calm and gentle. The sky above was littered with stars of the brightest species. I removed my socks and shoes from my feet. I love it when the sand runs over and through my feet.

I brought my legs into my chest so that I could rest my chin on my somewhat darkened knees. It wasn't uncommon, but my mind went back to thinking about Raven and Saedi. A part of me wanted to stop thinking about them all the time. I figured that if I did that, then the time it takes me to find them would be shortened. But the other half _**won't**_ let me stop thinking of them. Who can blame me? If you had lost people who are important to you, wouldn't you want to keep thinking of them? I think the thing that makes me the maddest is that my powers only allow me to know that they're still alive, but it won't tell me where. But when I think about it… I'd rather know if they're alive than where they were.

"_Ugh… This is so frustrating."_

I ran my fingers through my long hair in frustration before resting my forehead on top of my knees for a while.

…

…

…

**Gasp**

I awoke with a start.

"_Where am I?"_

My gray eyes flicked from corner to corner of the strange room I was in. I had no idea where I was. The sheets and pillows were made of black and red silk. The room seemed familiar. With better observations, I discovered that I was back in my room from when I lived on Destiny Village. I threw the covers back and jumped out of bed in a hurry. The room was completely dark.

"_How did I get back here? I thought that this world had disappeared because of the Darkness. Is this a trick?"_

I tried to summon my Keyblades, but they wouldn't come. It felt as if I was back in Pooh's book.

"_Had this all been a dream? Did I never leave this world? Are Raven and Saedi really gone?"_

"Entée? Entée?" I tried calling to my demon, but I never received an answer.

My head was spinning. I felt awful and nauseous. Nothing made sense anymore. I sat back down on the bed before my legs could give out on me. I found myself lying down on the silky sheets. I pulled the covers over my head and used it as a shield against this harsh reality. There was nothing I wanted more than to conceal myself away from the world. There was nothing I wanted more than Sora, Donald, Goofy, Tidus, Leon, Cid, Pooh, Ariel, Jasmine… Raven… Saedi…

…

…

…

My insomnia was wearing thin on my patience. All I wanted to do was hide behind these silk sheets and never submerge. But something was nagging at me to come from beneath my soft shield. My red eyes opened to darkness.

"_That's what I wanted to see when I closed my eyes."_

I tried to keep my eyes closed, but they wouldn't let me. I don't know how, but my shield was removed from my face. I thought it had something to do with all of my tossing and turning, so I turned away from the door and pulled the covers back over my head. I was curled into a tight ball. This was the only way I could protect myself from the world without my Keyblades. But something didn't feel right. It felt as if someone was watching over me. And I was right. When I looked up, my blue/ brown gaze fell on a floating green light that rapidly zipped from side to side. I let the covers slowly side down my body as I sat up and watched this creature fly happily in front of me. The creature stopped when it finally noticed me. My hands automatically cupped together, allowing the creature to land. The creature's body was engulfed by a neon green light. He had two floppy ears, a long snout with a little round nose, and glittered wings on his back. It felt as if I had already met this small person before. Everything about him seemed familiar. I wonder…

"Goofy?" I asked as the creature nodded with a huge grin. "How did you get so small? And why do you look like a firefly?"

My questions went unanswered. It seemed like he couldn't, or didn't want to, talk. The only thing he did was point. Curiosity got the better of me, so I followed his finger only to have my eyes widen at what I saw next.

Out of nowhere, a four more firefly like people appeared, each looking like miniature firefly versions of my friends. From left to right Riku, Kairi, Sora and Donald floated before me, each holding their own special smiles and posses. Riku's arms were folded, but his smile and eyes gave off a relaxing demeanor. Kairi's eyes were closed while both of her hands were crossed behind her back. She was bending over a little bit. This was her favorite posse when she wanted to show off just how happy she was. Next was Sora. He sported a wide grin, a wink, and a thumbs up. Whenever I saw him do this, he did it to encourage people in whatever that person was doing. Donald just let his hands rest on his hips, but his smile told me that he was relaxed. A rare sight indeed for the little white duck.

_**You would not believe your eyes  
If ten million fireflies  
Lit up the world as I fell asleep  
'Cause they'd fill the open air  
And leave teardrops everywhere  
You'd think me rude:**_

Goofy flew from my hands to join the rest of my friends, but I barely noticed it when multiples of my five friends started to appear. The once darkened room is now lit with thousands of neon green firefly versions of my friends. I moved my body to sit in an upright position as I watched more of the clones, or whatever you wanted to call them, appear. A small smile graced my lips as my yellow-green eyes followed the movements of the originals. The original firefly versions of my friends danced from my face into a circle around my body. I giggled when I felt the glitter from their wings tickle and rain over my skin. Suddenly, my five friends stop flying around me and headed towards the door. With their combined strength, the five of them managed to open the door. A bright white light, with traces of neon green in it, blinded me. I used my hand to shield my sensitive eyes from its harsh effect. But when my brown eyes finally adjusted, my irises turned hazel as they widen in shock at the sight before me.

_**But I would just stand and stare:**_

Before me were the two people I've been searching for, in their actual heights. One stood several inches taller than me. She had lightly colored skin, blond hair with red streaks in it, and olive green eyes. She was sporting a white halter top, pink wrist length shorts, white and pink bracelets on her left wrist and right ankle, and pink transparent curved butterfly wings.

"Raven…?"

The second figure stood a couple of inches taller than the previously mentioned girl. This girl had moonlit pale skin, long black hair that cascaded down her back and stopped at her midsection along with piercing emerald green eyes. She wore a white tube top with matching white skinny jeans, silver chains that twirled around her left leg before wrapping around her waist and hanging off of her right hip. Behind her were a set of black transparent wings with a sharp point at the top and bottom.

"Saedi?" I asked both figures.

_**I'd like to make myself believe  
That planet Earth turns slowly  
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay  
Awake when I'm asleep  
'Cause everything is never as it seems:**_

The two girls nodded a 'yes' to my question with smirks on their faces. My body was frozen in shock and happiness. Everybody I had been searching for, or ever cared about, was right in front of me. Now the only thing I need to figure out is _**why**_ they look like fireflies. I went to speak, but nothing came out. It was as if they had frozen my entire being when they stepped foot into my sanctuary. I watched as the two figures and my original miniature firefly friends floated over to my bed. With much grace, they encircled my bed while barely touching the floor and me. While watching them, I felt time and the Earth slow down in its turning adventure. Even though they couldn't talk, I still managed to relish in this whole feeling. Raven and Saedi haven't changed since the last time I saw them.

"_That's good." _I mentally signed in relief.

I watched as Saedi snapped her fingers and made, not only a disco ball appear, but also made my room feel as if I was at a rave.

"_This is getting too freaky."_

_**'Cause I'd get a thousand hugs  
From ten thousand lightning bugs  
As they tried to teach me how to dance:**_

I started to giggle as the colons of my firefly friends floated around me and through my hair. During their attack I allowed them to carry me off the bed and onto the floor. My yellow eyes fell on my first two best friends after I felt the light touches of the colons leave my skin. Raven twirled around with grace I've only seen when she takes up her wooden weapons. Saedi turned her eyes away from the ballerina before holding out her hand toward me with a smirk. Light music played in my ears as I looked around the room again.

_**A foxtrot above my head:**_

Millions of the colons danced with each other above me.

_**A sock hop beneath my bed:**_

I pulled back the covers and marveled at the same scene playing before me, under my bed.

_**A disco ball is just hanging by a thread:**_

Above the millions of dancing colons is a regular sized disco ball hanging from the ceiling with a mini Sora sitting and relaxing against disco ball's string as said disco ball slowly rotated and created all the lights that littered the room.

_**I'd like to make myself believe  
That planet Earth turns slowly  
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay  
Awake when I'm asleep  
'Cause everything is never as it seems  
When I fall asleep:**_

All of the excitement left me drain as I laid back down onto my bed. I held out my finger for one of my little friends to land on. Kairi took my finger and used it as a perch while watching the magic unfold before us. My hair spread out around me, almost making it look like a halo for my body. The activities never ceased. They only seemed to get even more hyped.

"_This was the cure I've been looking for, for my insomnia." _

The mini Kairi flew from my finger to rejoin the rest of the group. My eyelids didn't feel heavy yet, but I did start to feel tired.

_**Leave my door open just a crack  
(Please take me away from here):**_

I opened my eyes when I heard someone opening my door. I sat up to get a better look when I saw Raven hold the door wide open for all of fireflies to exit through. Saedi returned her smirk and focus back to me with her hand out stretched for me to take it.

_**'Cause I feel like such an insomniac  
(Please take me away from here):**_

I didn't know what to do. Had this not been a dream I would've taken her hand without a second thought, but sadly… this was a dream. Both Raven and Saedi waited patiently as I hesitantly slipped my hand in Saedi's open palm.

_**Why do I tire of counting sheep  
(Please take me away from here)  
When I'm far too tired to fall asleep:**_

I don't how but somehow we managed to leave my room and make it to an open field. The three of us ran to wherever we wanted to go, with all of my mini friends in tow. We kept running until my legs gave out, causing me to fall backwards onto the grass below with Raven and Saedi in tow. If someone was above us, they would've seen that our heads formed a triangle. Raven and I were at the bottom while Saedi rested her head above ours. Our arms rested at our sides. Our chests began to rise and fall in a calm rhythm. I didn't care that this was a dream. All that mattered to me was that I was finally reunited with all of my friends. The seven of us watched as the copy fireflies continued to dance above our heads. I closed my eyes in pure blessed.

"_This is how it should've been from the beginning. I just wish that this was actuality instead of a dream."_

_**To ten million fireflies  
I'm weird 'cause I hate goodbyes  
I got misty eyes as they said farewell:**_

I gasped when I opened my eyes and saw that the miniature versions of Raven, Saedi, Kairi, Sora, Riku, Donald, and Goofy had started to walk away with all of the firefly copies ahead of them. I quickly sat up, causing the seven of them to look at me. I couldn't find the strength to whip away the tears that started to form in the corner of my blue eyes.

_**But I'll know where several are  
If my dreams get real bizarre  
'Cause I saved a few and I keep them in a jar:**_

"_**NO!"**_I screamed in my head. I had just been reunited with my friends. I didn't want them to leave me now. My right fingers bumped into something made out of glass. I lightly turned my head to see that a glass jar was sitting there. I didn't have time to ask as to why it was there. Before they could react, I used my wind magic to capture them before imprisoning them within the confinement of the glass jar.

"There. Now, we'll all be together forever. Just like we planned. Now~" I couldn't finish my sentence. The sad expressions on their faces broke my heart. They looked so depressed while in that jar. A sad smile played on my lips as I held the jar up to my face.

"I'm being selfish, aren't I? I can't keep you locked up in there forever. You'd be too sad. But then I don't want you to leave either. This is quite the decision to make, huh?" I sighed before placing my hand on the lid before twisting it open. "But if it was me… I would want to be set free. So go on and be free. Just… be careful until I come find you guys. Sora, Donald, Goofy… I'll see you guys when I wake up." The smile on my face wasn't as said as the previous one, but people could still hint at it.

_**I'd like to make myself believe  
That planet Earth turns slowly  
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay  
Awake when I'm asleep  
'Cause everything is never as it seems  
When I fall asleep**_

_**I'd like to make myself believe  
That planet Earth turns slowly  
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay  
Awake when I'm asleep  
'Cause everything is never as it seems  
When I fall asleep:**_

The smiles on their faces made me smile too. My blue-green eyes showed some of the sadness deep within the pit of my stomach, but it was ok. I knew that this was a dream, but at least I knew that everything was fine. I watched as all of the fireflies, original and copy, flew around me, creating a magical orb. The sight alone was beautiful. After relaxing my tensed muscles, I closed my eyes and allowed them to carry me wherever they wanted to take me.

_**I'd like to make myself believe  
That planet earth turns slowly  
It's hard to say that I'd rather stay  
Awake when I'm asleep  
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams:**_

When I opened my eyes, I saw that they had carried me back to my room. My body and eyelids felt heavy. I barely felt it when the fireflies place me back in my bed before pulling the covers over me. My fingers automatically gripped the edge of the comforter and pulled it closer to my nose. The door was still opened. Through hazed eyes, I saw the fireflies exit through it. Light tears come to my eyes as I outstretched my hand. Raven smiled before she followed the copies and originals through the door. The stretching from me never ceased, but it did become weaker. Saedi nodded with a small genuine smile before exiting the room with her blackened hair swaying gently behind her. The door closed, effectively shutting out the neon green light before returning my room into a welcoming darkness. That was the last thing I saw before my eyes closed completely.

…

…

…

**Gasp**

I had awoken with a start. The cool water rose and stopped at my ankles. I stood up, yawned, stretched and pooped my aching muscles. I hadn't realized how late it had gotten, and yet, I wasn't in any hurry to get back home. I wanted to think about the dream I just had. Everything seemed so real. The magic. The touches… My friends. A little part of me wished I didn't have that dream. That same part of me wanted to cry because even though that dream was recent, it was too out of reach.

"_What was with that dream? Was it there to taunt me? Was it there to reassure me? Was it a message from Raven and Saedi, wherever they are? I'm so confused."_

My hands gripped the side of my head before I closed my eyes tightly. I wanted to scream. Nothing made sense anymore. I was so confused and yet I couldn't bring myself to cry. Through my closed eyes I saw bright lights. I slowly opened my eyes to see that my necklace had started to glow red and blue for two of the elements. It went from burning red with fire engulfing it, to blue with ice crystals floating around it. My hazel eyes widen in shock as I held my necklace in my hand.

"_Fire and ice are Saedi and Raven's mastered elements. Why would my necklace be glowing with their elements? Is it a sign?"_

Before I could register what was going on, the fire and ice surrounding my necklace flared up.

"Alright. Alright fine. I'll stop worrying so much, but can you blame me? I can't believe I'm talking to my magic necklace." I groaned before the elements flared up again in my face. "Ok. Ok. I'll try not to worry so much. How about that?" I lightly smiled at the necklace. The magic cooled down at this. "I guess I'll just have to keep myself busy until we really are reunited. It's that ok with you, Raven and Saedi? Does that float the both of you guys' boats? Does that melt your butter?" I laughed at myself before the elements calmed down a little bit more. "Well then, if you don't want me to worry so much, then you have to promise me that you guys are safe. Can you do that?" I asked. The elements around my accessory waited a moment before they finally disappeared. My green eyes lifted to the starry sky above me with a light smile in tow.

"_It's a deal then."_

"_**What are you doing out here so late?"**_ I heard a cool voice asked from behind me.

I turned my body the left to see that it was Lulu who was talking to me. "I couldn't sleep. What about you? It's seems like you're out pretty late too."

"I like to come out here and see the stars, but I fell asleep. I wanted to come out here before it got too late." She explained.

"That makes sense." I smiled before returning back to the sea and stars. I barely noticed Lulu's presence when she came to stand next to me. I closed my eyes before breathing in the sweet smell of the fresh water. Neither of us said anything as I sat down and pulled back on my shoes and socks. "Well I'm tired. I'll head back to the village now. Don't stay out too late." I waved before making my way away from the beach.

"Wait." Lulu called, causing me to turn back to look at her. "I'll walk with you. It'll… be safer that way." I nodded before waiting for her to join my side.

We walked in silence until we stood at the hill that over looked Besaid Village. "Ke'Ania… Can I ask you something?" She waited for me to nod before continuing on. "I had actually arrived when you started talking to your necklace. Who are Raven and Saedi? Are they friends you've lost? Did they… pass away?"

I stopped walking for a minute. My gaze fell on the ground below me before I lifted it to stare into her red orbs with my contrasting blue ones. "They're not dead. It's more like they're… lost. I've been traveling with Sora, Donald, and Goofy in hopes of finding them and the rest of my friends. We haven't had much luck yet, but we won't stop looking." I smiled, closing my eyes to shield them from her sadden gaze.

"Lost, huh? I wish Chappu was just "lost" too." She smiled sadly.

"I know the story about you and Chappu, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad." I sighed.

"It's ok. I've had time… to get over it. I know he's not coming back. It still pains me to know that this is the reality and not some dream that I've been continuously having. But, I'll be alright…" The silence between us was one of sadness.

"_I fell so bad for her. At least, I'll be able to see my friends. It must be hard, knowing that the person you love the most is out of your reach forever."_

"How… do you deal with it?" I nervously asked. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm sorry I even asked." My laugh was nervous, just like the rest of me.

"It's alright." She lightly chuckled before taking a deep breath. "When I had first heard the news… I was in complete denial. I kept thinking that someone was playing a horrible trick on me, but when he didn't come home after a while… I know that it had to be real. I moved and functioned like a zombie. But eventually, Wakka and Yuna were able to finally snap me out of my funk and back to my old self." She smiled as we continued to travel back to the village.

"It sounds like you have some great friends."

"They're not my friends…" She bluntly stated.

"Huh? But I thought~"

"They're my family."

"Ha. Ironically… I saw that one coming." I chuckled to myself while shaking my head.

Lulu nodded before turning her direction toward the Crusader's Lodge. "It's still pretty late. Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow… we can have a nice conversation about each other."

"_She seems so nice, but there was something I needed to know. I just couldn't stop myself from asking~"_

"Hey Lulu… Why do you trust me so much?"

"… It's because I can sense the goodness coming from you. And plus, I can see a lot of myself in you. You'd be surprise at just how much we might be alike. Goodnight Ke'Ania."

I nodded as I watched her retreating back before heading back into the lodge. The boys were sound asleep in their various positions. In the corner of the room remained my abandoned, temporally bed. I removed my socks and shoes before settling under the covers for the second time that night.

"_**You'd be surprised at just how much we might be alike."**_

At that replay of Lulu's words, I turned over and pulled the covers over my smiling lips before closing my green eyes.

"_After being on this trip for so long… I don't think __**anything**__ could surprise me anymore… But then again… I could be wrong."_


	20. The World We Live In

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Violence. Tender moments. Talk of the dead. And if you played Final Fantasy X: The Sending dance.

**Chapter 17: The World We Live In**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

"Hey…" I turned my head to see Ke'Ania standing beside me. "You were great today." She smiled.

While leaning over the side of the boat, I was too busy lost in my own thoughts to even sense Ke'Ania approaching me. "Oh yeah? Well you were even better. You handled yourself pretty nicely against those fiends on that road today." I complemented back, making her blush with pink eyes.

"I bet you and Tidus appreciate Lulu a little bit more now, huh?" She smirked.

"Yeah. I mean she did save our asses from those flan fiends while also teaching us about defeating them by using their opposite elements. She's pretty smart." I smiled.

Things got quiet between the two of us for a minute. Ke'Ania hopped onto the edge of the boat. Her long sandy brown hair swayed in the breeze as the boat sailed through the water. The sun was hitting us, but we didn't mind. In my mind, all I could think about was what happened after we left the village. We got to talk to Yuna for a little bit, fight, learn more about fiends, have a little fight with Kimahri, and learn about some of Yevon's customs. Now we're sailing on the endless sea.

"They seem to be having fun getting to know each other." Ke'Ania smiled at Yuna and Tidus.

"Yeah. They seem to really be hitting it off. What do you think they're talking about?" I asked.

"She's probably trying to get to know him. You know his likes/dislikes, his past, his family. The normal stuff you ask when trying to get to know someone. Which reminds me… Why don't you ever talk about your family? The only person I've ever met was your kind mom, but not your dad. Where is he anyway? Is he on a trip or something?"

"Never knew him." I shrugged my shoulders. "He left before I was even born. To be honest, I hoped the bastard died. My Mom was young and without the help of my grandparents, I don't know where I'd be. Definitely not here, I'll tell you that much."

"Where… are… they…?" She nervously asked.

It felt as though she was afraid to open old wounds. To show her that everything's ok, I gave her a smile. "In this world, they would've gone to the Farplane. But to put it simple… they're dead. But it doesn't hurt. I've learned to deal with it. So it doesn't really bother me."

My head was down, but my eyes rested on the sparkling sea. The muscles in my back tightened when I felt someone hug me, but immediately relaxed when I realized that it was only Ke'Ania. "… …You can't fool me. Your smile is sad, Sora…" She mumbled as her cheek rested against my back.

"You were always too smart." I lightly chuckled as one of my hands came down to cover her laced fingers resting on my midsection.

…

…

…

Tidus and I agreed that being on this boat sucks. There's nothing to do, no fiends to fight. So we settled on the only thing that kept us entertained, practicing Blitzball. Donald got hit a few times, which turned into an aiming game. Well it _**was**_ a game until the dark sky made it hard to see the annoying white duck.

"Dinner's ready!" Ke'Ania called as she came up from below the deck. "What are you three doing anyway?"

**GROAN**

Before Tidus or I could answer, Donald struggled to get up before staggering his way to the dining room, releasing a few grunts and moans of pain here and there.

"What's wrong with him? And how did he get all of those bruises?" Ke'Ania asked with her right hand on her hip while jerking her left thumb in Donald's direction. Tidus and I looked at each other, debating on rather or not our lives are worth the truth. But Ke'Ania drew her own conclusion based off our expressions. "Don't tell me you guys actually started _**aiming **_the blitzball _**at **_Donald." Her voice sounded more of a plea than of annoyance. We didn't answer, causing Ke'Ania to bring her left hand to rest on her forehead while she shook her head. "You guys are more trouble than you're worth." She sighed. "After dinner, can you two _**please **_apologize to him? I know sometimes he can be a pain in the ass, but he's our friend and that's _**no way**_ to treat your friends. So can you two please apologize to him?" She asked with purple eyes. We nodded our heads slowly. "Thanks guys." She sighed again before turning her back to us and heading below deck again.

"Well damn… I kind of feel bad for doing that to Donald." Tidus confessed as he scratched the back of his head.

"I know what you mean. Donald _**can**_ be a pain in my ass most of the time, but he's still a good friend." I sighed as I let Ke'Ania's words sink into my brain.

"_I think the worse part about this whole thing is that I feel like I disappointed Ke'Ania. She values friendship as if it were a treasure, but I basically just told her that if the friend is an ass then they'll be treated like one, despite how good of a friend they are during the times they're not being an ass. I wonder if she's starting to doubt the friendship we have? That's the last thing I want to have happen. If I lose her as a friend… then I lost the chance at ever getting my feelings returned. That'll be the worse scar I'll ever receive, especially if she ends up falling for Riku. He may be my best friend, but I __**cannot **__let Riku and Ke'Ania be together… I just can't."_

"Sora?" I heard Tidus call, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"You coming'?"

"Oh yeah. Let's go see what's for dinner." I said with a forced smile on my lips.

...

…

…

All throughout dinner, Tidus and I barely spoke. I just alternated between watching Ke'Ania's expressions and eating. Not once did she glance at me… Well, not to my knowledge anyway.

After dinner, I waited for Tidus to finish. We agreed to go and apologize to both Donald and Ke'Ania for earlier. Ke'Ania was already in the cabin with Donald while the rest of our gang decided to star watch on the deck. Once Tidus was finished, we nodded to each other before stepping in the cabin.

Inside, Ke'Ania sat on the edge of Donald's bed. A green light engulfed Ke'Ania's hands and Donald's body, indicating that Ke'Ania's healing powers were at work. A few droplets of sweat dotted her forehead before slowly rolling down her face and chin. Her eyes narrowed in concentration before a smile graced her pink lips.

"There you go Donald. You're all healed now. But you need to take it easy and rest for the night. Just because I fully healed you, doesn't mean you can start jumping around and acting reckless." She warned while standing up and placing her hands on her hips.

"When have I ever been reckless." Donald laughed.

"Just be careful." Ke'Ania smiled back before turning toward the door, where we stood. "Sora? Tidus? I didn't even hear you guys come in. Is there something you two need?"

"We came to apologize… To the both of you." I started.

"Yeah. We didn't mean to use you as target practice Donald. And we're sorry if you're disappointed in us Ke'Ania. I never knew how much friendship meant to you. But even so… you were right… That was no way for us to treat Donald. We'll do anything to fix what we've done. Just please forgive us." After Tidus finished the rest of the apology, we bowed.

Both Tidus and I gasped when Ke'Ania came to wrap her arms around us. "We appreciate the apologies guys." She smiled at us before turning to Donald. "What do you say Donald? Should we forgive them?"

"I don't know about you, but _**maybe**_ if I get a message on my back… I _**might**_ forgive you two." Donald smirked evilly.

Both Tidus's and my eyebrows twitched in annoyance. _"This is the thanks we get for apologizing?"_

"Have fun boys." Ke'Ania sung as she made her way over to the door.

"You can't be serious, Ke'Ania!" Tidus and I yelled.

"I'm not the one who said that I was willing to do anything for Donald's forgiveness. But, if you two can finish before Yuna and I come in, then you two can meet us on the deck and star watch with us. But that's only _**if**_ you guys finish before then." Ke'Ania smirked before shutting the door.

"Well hurry up! My back isn't going to message itself!" Donald grumbled before rolling over onto his stomach.

Both of our eyes twitched as we glared at the duck. "I'm starting to hate birds." Tidus grumbled as he walked over to Donald's bed.

"Hurry up you two!"

"Not birds, Tidus. Ducks. _**White**_ _**talking **_ducks."

…

…

…

We didn't get a chance to star watch with the girls last night, but Tidus decided to make up for lost time by telling Yuna, Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy and I about his life in Zanarkand.

"In Zanarkand, we _**never **_sleep. The whole city comes alive with lights and music at night. And at sunrise… when the sun just peeks over the horizon… the sun beams will hit the water just right and give it the appearance of being lit on fire. I wish you guys could see it." Tidus's voice made it sound like he was in dream world.

"Your home sounds beautiful, Tidus." Yuna said in a dreamy voice.

"I'm not a morning person, but if I had a scenery waiting for me that early in the morning, then I wouldn't mind becoming one." Ke'Ania commented with a smile.

"Yeah, but what about your Blitzball stadium? In a city that big you gotta have a huge stadium in the center or something." I asked.

"Yeah. Our stadium is the biggest you'll ever see. I was actually in the middle of a game when Sin attacked."

"Whoa… How did you get away?" Goofy asked in awe.

"Well, after I exited the stadium, I met up with Auron and we escaped together. It wasn't easy though. Everywhere we turned there were Sinspawn getting in the way and wrecking everything." Tidus huffed as he folded his arms in a tight hold.

"You know Sir Auron?" Yuna gasped.

"Yeah. He's kind of like my guardian. After my Mother died he just popped into my life and started watching over me." Tidus explained. "How do you know Auron?"

"He, along with Sir Jecht, was my Father's guardian. Before my Father went on his pilgrimage, Sir Jecht would tell me stories of Zanarkand. Sir Auron wouldn't talk very much, but he liked all the presents I would make for them." Yuna smiled.

"Um… Tidus… You said you saw Sin, right? Could you describe it?" Donald asked nervously from the railing.

"Well, from what I saw, it looked like an overgrown ugly ass whale or something."

"What do ya ask Donald?" Goofy asked.

"Oh no reason. I just didn't want to alarm anyone about the _**GIANT FIN I JUST SAW!**_" Donald shouted, causing all of us to run to the railing.

"I don't see anything." Ke'Ania said as she leaned over the ship's side.

"But, but , but… it was right there! You have to believe me!" Donald pleaded.

"I don't know Donald. I'd think we would've noticed a giant fin speeding through the water." I said with the back of my hands on my hips.

"He's right Donald. Maybe you just saw some other large creature in the water?" Ke'Ania tried to calm Donald down.

"But, I know what I saw…"

"Look, Donald. Give it up. It's not that we don't believe you, it's just that it's hard _**to**_ believe you when you were the only one who saw something." I sighed before turning to head below deck with the rest of the group.

We left Donald at the railing, but before we could reach the stairs the boat shook. Everyone fell on their knees as the boat rocked. The ship stopped rocking after a minute, but no one dared to move in fear of the boat rocking again.

"What was that?" Ke'Ania asked as she tried to stand on wobbly knees.

"I told you that I saw something big! It must've been Sin!" Donald yelled as he jumped up and down.

"I don't believe that Sin would target us directly." I said.

"**EVERYONE, TAKE COVER! IT'S SIN!"** A crewman shouted.

"Of course, I could always be wrong."

The boat started to shake again, causing everyone to fall on their knees again. Everyone gasped as they saw a giant fin run alongside the ship's railing before disappearing into the ocean. Once Sin was out of sight, we all ran to the front of the ship.

"Where did it go?" Ke'Ania asked as she leaned over the side of the railing.

Without warning, Sin rammed into the ship again. The boat rocked hard. Everyone was holding onto someone or something. Goofy tried to keep Donald grounded. Tidus gripped Yuna's hand. Lulu and Wakka were holding onto the side. A few of the crewmen and Besaid Aurochs were rolling around on the deck. I tried to stay grounded while trying to look of a missing Ke'Ania.

"**Ke'Ania?" **I called.

"**SORA!"** She yelled as she continued to slide closer to the edge.

Trails of nail marks were left as an attempt to stay aboard. I pushed off of my toes as I raced to catch her. "Gotcha." I huffed after grabbing her hand. Half of her body was in the water. My hand was the only thing keeping her from getting swept away by the current. I used all of my strength to pull her back on board. Half of her body and hair were soaking wet, she shivered, and I didn't need to see past her tightly shut eyes to know that her irises turned gray with fear. "Shhh… It's ok Ke'Ania. I've got you." I cooed in her pointed ears. She calmed down a little bit, but I still tightened my grip around her smaller frame too comfort her.

Sin kept ramming the boat from all sides. I turned my head to see that Yuna had slipped from Tidus's grasp before being rescued by Kimahri. Sin's fin shot out of the water. I haven't seen Sin's full body yet… and I didn't need to. I was already terrified just from the size of the fin.

"What are you doing?" I heard Wakka yell at two crewmen.

"We need to find a way to stop Sin." One crewman answered.

"It's heading for Kilika. We have families in Kilika. We have to drive it away before it destroys our home." The second crewman informed in a scared tone.

"Lady Yuna! We know that this is dangerous, but we have to do it! Please forgive us!" The first crewman cried before both men latched their hooks into Sin's fin.

When the hooks latched onto the fin, I could've sworn I heard that thing cry out in pain.

"Now that Sin is trapped, it'll be vulnerable to our attacks." Lulu said as she pulled out a strange doll from its hold on her left hip.

I hesitantly removed my arms from Ke'Ania's body as everyone lined up for battle with their weapons. "But Lulu… How are we supposed to attack Sin from down here? It's not like it's a hop, skip, and a jump from here." Tidus asked.

"Anyone with magic can attack the fin. Wakka can throw his ball. As for everyone else, why don't you guys help the crewmen." Lulu instructed.

Everyone nodded at the plan. My magic wasn't as good as everyone else's, so I decided to help the crewmen, along with Tidus, Kimahri, and Goofy. All the magic users and Wakka attacked Sin's in together. During their attack, Ke'Ania got an idea.

"Yuna, can you summon Valfor for me please? I'm going to hop on her back and try to get up close and personal with Sin." Ke'Ania asked.

"That's dangerous!" The brunette summoner shouted.

"I know."

Yuna looked into Ke'Ania's scared gray eyes. I could tell that Ke'Ania wasn't too sure of herself right now, but was willing to go through with her ridiculous plan in hopes of sending Sin away. Yuna sighed in defeat before getting into her summoning pose. "I'll do it, but please Ke'Ania… Be careful." Ke'Ania nodded at this request before waiting for Valfor to be summoned.

"Valfor, I need your help, girl." Ke'Ania said before telling the aeon the plan. She nodded in understanding before bending down and allowing Ke'Ania to climb on her back. Ke'Ania was shaking at first, but she managed to straddle the aeon before they took off.

"_I hope you know what you're doing, Ke'Ania."_

I watched as the pair flew close to fin. Everyone, still on the boat, fell to the floor again when Sin turned its body , jerking the boat in the process. Everyone's eyes watched as Ke'Ania tried to dig her Keyblades into Sin, but got herself and Valfor blown away by a strange barrier instead.

"**KE'ANIA!" **I shouted as Ke'Ania continued to fall.

Valefor was the first to recover before moving to rescue Ke'Ania. I sighed in relief when I saw that both girls were safe.

"Are you alright?" Lulu asked as Ke'Ania climbed off of Valefor.

"Yeah, just a little shaken up and winded." She nervously laughed.

"But the important thing is that you're safe and that you're never going to do _**that**_ again… Well not against Sin you're not." Wakka scolded.

"So what are we going to do now?" Goofy asked.

"About Sin?" I questioned.

"No about that!"

We turned our heads to where Goofy was pointing to see bullets fly from Sin's body and land on the deck. We watched as those same 'bullets' started to transform into…

"**SINSPAWN!"** A crewman yelled.

"Yuna, you should get below deck. We'll handle these guys." Ke'Ania said as she readied her Keyblades.

"No! I maybe a summoner, but I am not useless. I can and _**will**_ fight." Yuna declared with her staff in hand and Valefor beside her.

"That's our Yuna. No one can tell her what to do." Wakka smiled with his Blitzball in his arms.

"Fine. Anyone with magic skills can help drive back Sin. Everyone else will take care of the Sinspawn." Lulu ordered. Everyone nodded in agreement before getting into position.

Goofy, Tidus, Kimahri, and I took care of the Sinspawn. Yuna, Lulu, Valefor, and Donald attacked Sin's fin. Wakka and Ke'Ania alternated between the two. I don't know how long the battle raged on. All I knew is that there was no end in sight.

"This is bullshit." I panted after killing another Sinspawn.

"There's just no end to them. Every time we defeat a Sinspawn, three more shoot from Sin's fin. We keep this up and soon we'll have more Sinspawn than we'll be able to handle." Tidus groaned before dodging another attack and slicing three more Sinspawn.

"Yuna… Doesn't Valefor… have a special attack… or something strong enough to injure Sin?" Ke'Ania grunted as she dodged and attacked two Sinspawn.

"She does, but I don't know if it's strong enough." Yuna answered.

"Try something before we're up to our ears in these creatures!" Donald shrieked.

Yuna nodded before turning to Valefor. "Valefor! Please try your Energy Blast!"

Valefor nodded before turning to Sin's fin. The female aeon did a back flip before flipping its long hair in a circular motion, causing a spinning symbol to appear with half an oval connecting Valefor to the spinning circle. With one loud screech, Valefor released a bunch of white energy lights onto Sin's fin. Valefor's attack must've worked because Sin started to shake, making large waves and the boat thrash with all of its actions. All of the water and wind knocked off the remaining Sinspawn while also knocking us around. The harsh winds blew our hair/ fur everywhere, especially in our faces. Everyone grabbed onto the closest thing they could grab. Ke'Ania, Donald, and Goofy hung onto Ke'Ania's Keyblades after she dug them into the deck. Wakka held onto the beam in the middle of the deck while also holding onto Lulu. Kimahri and Yuna hung onto the ropes in front of the deck. I did what Ke'Ania did and dug my Keyblade into the deck, but the winds were too strong. I started moving backwards, against my will, before my Keyblade disappear and I went flying. "Gotcha!' Tidus grabbed my hand before I went overboard. Together we held onto one of the hooks, but when Sin did one final jerk, it was released from both hooks. The one we were hanging onto slipped from our hold and flew forward. Tidus and I grunted in pain when the hook hit us hard before falling onto the deck. I tried to stay conscious, but the more I fought, the harder it was for me to stay awake. The last thing I remember was Tidus and I rolling off the deck and into the water. The ocean wasn't too terribly cold, but somehow it lulled me to sleep.

…

…

…

"Sora, please wake up! Sora!"

"_Ke'Ania?"_ I groaned before slowly opening my eyes.

"Sora?"

When I opened my eyes, I could see Ke'Ania's teary blue-gray ones staring down at me. "Ke'Ania?"

"You're ok." She smiled before whipping away her tears.

I turned my head to the side and came face to face with Ke'Ania's exposed midsection. _"My head is in her lap?"_

"How's Tidus?" I groaned as I tried to sit up, but Ke'Ania just shoved me back into her lap.

"He's fine and awake, but you two need to rest and stay down. We were able to get all of the water out our lungs, but you two still need to relax." She ordered.

I signed in relief at her news. I ended up closing my eyes when Ke'Ania started messaging my scalp while humming a tune. "That sounds nice." I moaned.

"Huh?"

"That tune you're humming… What is it?" I asked in a whisper-like tone.

"It's a song from my past. It's called 'You'll Be in My Heart'." She answered, never losing her smile.

"Raven and Saedi used to sing it to you?"

"No, but somebody did. I just remember a woman singing this song to me. I've been singing it since I was young." She said softly.

"You don't think that it was your Mother, do you?" I asked.

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter now." Her answer was sad and her irises turn into a pale blue. If you look closely, you could see the traces of white hidden within them. She went back to messaging my scalp, but her expression was blank. It kind of reminded me of that night I rescued her from the ocean.

"Would you've liked to meet her?" I asked, snapping her out of her train of thought.

"Huh?"

"You're Mother. Wouldn't you've wanted to meet her?" I asked again.

"Oh." She gasped before lightly giggling and shaking her head. "I think it would've been nice, but to be honest… If I could, I wouldn't go back and change the past for anything. Even if it meant having parents." She smiled at me.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because, like you said earlier, I wouldn't be here, having this adventure with you guys. I probably would've never have met Raven, Saedi, Kairi, Riku, Donald, Goofy, any of our friends. But, most importantly… I wouldn't have met you." What she said caused us both to smile at the other. She leaned over me slightly. Her long hair barely touching my lower half. "Uh… Sora…? You're blushing…" She smiled harder when I turned my head away in a sorry attempt at hiding my blush. "You're so funny." She giggled behind her hand. I snapped my head back at her giggling. Thinking back, I think this is the first time I've heard her giggle since we left Deep Jungle. It was rare and beautiful. It almost makes me wonder if I made her smile, or if part of her past did it.

"Sora! You're awake!" Goofy cheered.

"Are you ok?" Donald asked. I nodded , causing him to let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. We were so worried about you, especially Ke'Ania. Once everybody noticed that you and Tidus fell into the ocean Wakka, Ke'Ania, Goofy and I dove in to help you guys. Ke'Ania and I used that water breathing technique to stop the water from doing anymore damage while Goofy and Wakka took care of that Echuilles. That was the giant squid Sinspawn that was getting ready to attack you. Once it was defeated, Wakka carried Tidus while Goofy and I carried you. Ke'Ania, Yuna, and I used our magic to heal you guys. We're just glad it worked. I don't know what we would've done if we lost you guys." Donald panted when he was done with his story.

"I missed all of that? Wow… I feel like a loser for being so helpless." I lightly laughed.

"At least you're an _**alive **_loser." Ke'Ania laughed with me. For the first time, since I've been awake, Ke'Ania turned toward the sun. Without Ke'Ania in the way, I could see that it was sunset based off of the orange, yellow, pink, purple, and red coloring in the sky. "Sora… Look…" She gasped as she pointed to the setting sun.

I turned my head to the right to see that everyone was sitting in the front of the deck. This was the first time I noticed that Ke'Ania and I resided a little ways away from the others. I saw Tidus's head rested in Yuna's lap. It was a peaceful scene under a blazing sky. "Beautiful." I whispered. Everything was quiet until Ke'Ania gasped, catching everyone's attention. "What's wrong Ke'Ania?"

"I just thought of something you guys. Hey Wakka… We just ran into Sin and tried to turn it away from Kilika, right? Well… What if it didn't work?" She whispered the last part.

I knew she wasn't trying to ruin the mood. She only voiced the question that was on the mind of everyone, including the crewmen with family in Kilika.

"I guess we'll have to see for ourselves. Kilika is straight ahead." Wakka answered.

Everyone, including me, turned to face the sunset again. You didn't have to be a mind reader to know that everyone was hoping that we were able to turn Sin away, but at the same time know that we didn't.

…

…

…

When we arrived on the island, everyone had to fight back tears that threatened to fall. The island was completely destroyed. Stray boards were sticking up and floating everywhere. Homes, that were there, aren't anymore, or barely standing. No matter how much Ke'Ania and I worry over our lost friends, it could never compare to how much these people have lost. Everyone stood on the plank that connected the ship to the dock when two older people approached us.

"Greetings, I am Summoner Yuna, from the island of Besaid." Yuna introduced while doing the prayer.

"We're so glad that you're here, Lady Yuna." A man bowed out of respect for Yuna.

"Please, Lady Yuna. We ask that you perform the sending. We fear that our loved ones are on the verge of becoming fiends." A woman said with sadness in her voice.

"Lead the way please." Yuna's voice was full of comfort.

"What's a 'Sending'?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah? Are the dead, or us, being sent somewhere?" I questioned as I stepped onto the dock.

"Something like that." Wakka nervously laughed.

"Oh boy. If I wasn't here you guys would be totally clueless." Lulu sighed as she stepped next to us on the deck. "The people who die early, and babies, need guidance to the Farplane. Summoners are the ones who send them in the right direction. During their training, summoners must learn the Sending Dance. It's not just a summoner's job to defeat Sin, but they must also send those who need to be sent. When people die, not all of them go to the Farplane willingly. The ones who don't go are the ones that are turned into fiends. They envy everyone still living. If they are not sent, then that envy will quickly turn to anger, or hate, which eventually leads to them becoming fiends and prey on the living. The Sending calms the souls enough to send them on their way." Lulu explained.

The fact that summoners have to carry such a heavy burden made me understand as to why summoners are in short supply in this world.

"Yuna? You ok?" Ke'Ania called as the brunette strolled over to us while her faithful guardian, Kimahri, stayed by the destroyed dock.

"I will perform the sending, but I'm too nervous." She confessed.

"You've done this time and time again. We believe in you Yuna. You just have to believe in yourself." Lulu encouraged as she placed her hands on Yuna's shoulders.

"I know, but… Oh… This would be so much easier if I had someone to do it with me." She groaned.

"If any of us could, I'm pretty sure we would do it with you, Yuna. But~" Before Ke'Ania could finish her sentence, her Keyblades started to glow with a bright light. Everyone stepped back and watched as her Keyblades started to morph into one staff. The heart at the end of her Lovely Keyblade was at the top while the yin-yang symbol at the end of her Yin-Yang Keyblade was at the bottom. A sparking silver blade connected the heart and the symbol together. No one moved as said staff slowly floated down until it finally rested in Ke'Ania's hands. She examined it and was stunned to say the least. "Why did that happen?" She asked to no one in particular.

"You didn't do that?" Goofy asked.

"No. It came as a surprise to me when my Keyblades decided to morph together, on their own! I wonder if they're trying to tell me something?" Ke'Ania questioned as she looked closer at her new staff.

"Maybe they heard my distress and wanted you to join me in the Sending?" Yuna suggested.

"That could be it, but why would it want me to help with the Sending? I don't know anything about the Sending dance, let alone performing it." The voice Ke'Ania held was full of worry and fear, and so were her pale brownish eyes. If you look closer you could see gray, hazel, and brown laced within her changing irises.

"Do you think it could have something to do with the fact that you're a Pure Heart Princess?" I asked.

Everyone in the group gasped except for Tidus and our group of course. "You never told me that you were a Pure Heart Princess." Wakka gasped.

"I'll tell you guys everything you want to know once we get off away from Kilika. That's the most appropriate time for _**that**_ conversation. But, anyway, what does being a Pure Heart Princess have to do with why my Keyblades turned into a staff?" Ke'Ania tried her best to remain calm, but it wasn't working.

"Maybe you're pure heart will help sooth and send the souls that Yuna can't. So it's kind of like you're picking up her slack." Sora theorized.

"Ok, I'll accept that. But, still… I don't even know the freakin dance to send souls anywhere. What if I screw things up and then we'll have a whole bunch of fiends running around. I _**don't **_wanna have that on my conscious." She harshly whispered.

"I'll show you. All you have to do is follow my lead and you'll do fine. Please Ke'Ania. I really need your help." Yuna pleaded.

"All right, Yuna. I'll do it."

"Good. Now, remove your socks, shoes, and your jacket and follow me onto the water." Yuna smiled.

Ke'Ania gave her a look of confusion before removing her items, placing them next Yuna's black boots, and cautiously stepping near the water. Yuna gave her some coaching tips before taking her hand. I could tell, by her steady steps, that Ke'Ania was nervous. But when Yuna finally let go of her hand and allowed Ke'Ania to stand on her own, Ke'Ania was actually doing it. She lightly and quietly cheered before following Yuna cautiously on to the water. Tidus, Donald, Goofy, and I were mind blown. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. They were actually walking on water! I mean, Ke'Ania has said that her powers maybe good, but she can't pull stunts like this. Whatever Yuna told her had worked. But our amazement was cut short when we saw what was below their bare feet.

The wooden graves of the people from this place, who have died, were carelessly floating under the very waters most of them died in. I may not have learned a lot in school, but irony was definitely something I specialized in. I couldn't bear to visualize all of the people who were resting in those coffins. There were big and small graves alike floating near each other. I clutched my fists in anger when I thought of the one responsible for this tragedy… Sin… I could tell that Ke'Ania was probably thinking the same angry thoughts I was. I could practically see every muscle within her exposed skin tense as she griped her new staff in anger. The words Yuna whispered help calm her down a little bit, just enough to hopefully perform the Sending successfully.

Each girl took a deep breath before starting the dance. The still setting sun made it hard to see their faces, but you could tell who was who. I think it's better that way. I didn't want to see my crush's tears. Ke'Ania's movements were a bit stiff and a little late, but Yuna's were perfect. She had to have practiced this tragic dance multiple times in order to have the whole thing down pact. They twirled their staffs the most as they moved in circles and twirled. When they bent back before falling forward in a crouching position, we could souls of the dead start to come out of their coffins. When Yuna and Ke'Ania twirled their staffs while coming out of their crouching positions, the souls started to swirl around them. The wind blew harder as the dance continued.

Towards the water, Tidus, Goofy, Donald, and I watched as sobbing women fell to the floor, men holding their lovers or loved ones, and older people comforting the younger ones. The scene was already sad without seeing that. Turning my head to the left, I could see that Wakka's head was facing forward, but his eyes were closed calmly. The only physical movement Lulu did was blink, but I could see the turmoil and fight that went on in her eyes. Kamahi remained as passive as ever. Either he was really great at hiding his emotions or he just couldn't bring tears to his eyes. Either way… I couldn't tell. Tidus, Goofy, Donald, and I practically jumped out of our skins when the fire on the torches turned blue instead of remaining red.

When the girls twirled around, water shot up, carrying them to continue their dance on top of the water-made water fountains. As the girls stood and dance on the sprouting water, the souls whirled around them before continuing into the air. They were on their way to the Farplane. That was the only good thing about this beautifully horrific dance anyone could say. They twirled until two separate water-made water fountains formed one giant water fountain and until said fountain was at the center of the coffins. The dance ended when both girls stood before each other with their staffs in front of them in an upside down fashion. There were the occasional sobs, but other than that it was quiet. The water fountain lost its power and allowed the girls to stand on steadied ocean. Yuna was the first to move and retrieve her socks and boots before rushing over to us.

"How did we do?" She asked with uncertainty in her voice. I think I was the only one who noticed a fully dressed Ke'Ania finally approach the group with her head down.

"You did wonderfully. Thanks to you two, there won't be any fiends attacking the people in this village. But… how about let's try to bottle up the tears next time, ok?" Lulu lightly smiled. Yuna nodded, giving a little giggle before whipping away her tears. Ke'Ania just stood there, head down, and allowed her tears cascade off her cheeks and onto the destroyed planks.

"Lady Yuna, thanks to you and that girl, we are able to rest easy tonight. Please follow us to your rooms. You lot must be hungry and tired after everything you've been through." An old man smiled.

Yuna and Ke'Ania was the first to follow. I went in the opposite direction, towards Ke'Ania, but when we crossed paths, she just walked right passed me without a word. I turned my ocean blue eyes to her retreating back. She didn't throw a glance over her shoulder. The only thing following her was her sandy brown hair as it lightly blew in the breeze and swished with every step she took.

"It must be tough… being a summoner, huh?" Tidus asked to no one in particular.

"Yeah." I sighed harshly.

"Yuna and Ke'Ania's jobs are harder than most. Yuna is a summoner, and as a summoner she has a lot to bear on her shoulders. She already knew that before she even started her summoner's training. Ke'Ania is a Pure Heart Princess, so I imagine that she must be in constant danger because of the Darkness, no?" I nodded. "Both know the dangers of their jobs and yet they still face them head on. That doesn't always mean that they're brave. It just means that they are able to face almost anything life has to throw their way, even if it costs them their lives." Lulu explained.

"So then… What are _**we**_ supposed to do?" Donald asked.

"We're supposed to protect them along the way and assist them whenever they need us and even when they don't. That is our jobs. Our jobs are hard too. But we have to be strong for them when they are low. That's the hardest part about our jobs. Even if we are frightened, we must always be that pillar of strength for them to lean on. We may face more dangers than they do, because it's our job to protect them, but nothing is harder than forcing yourself to be strong even if you're the one feeling down. It makes their jobs harder when they feel like they have to pick everyone else up."

"So what you're saying is that we should be the ones who are strong and let them be weak?" I asked in a confused manor.

"What I'm _**saying**_ is that it's our main job to make their jobs a little bit easier for them to complete. Don't you think it'll be harder for Yuna, or Ke'Ania for that matter, to worry about us while also worrying about their lives and their missions? My only advice is: protect them when you can, but don't treat them like they're helpless. They're stronger than you would ever think. And I'm not just talking about physically."

I let Lulu's words sink into my head as we made our way to our designated rooms. That night, no one ate. We just went into our rooms. There were only five rooms left within the inn. That was enough for the remaining Kilika residents, Yuna, and Ke'Ania. The rest of us took residence in the ship's cabin. I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a walk around the deck.

The night breeze felt nice against my skin. I leaned against the railing of the ship and sighed. I could only think of the teary face Ke'Ania made when she passed me. My head jerked up when I saw the lightless inn ahead of me.

"_I wonder if Ke'Ania's ok?"_

"Sora?" I turned my head to see Yuna walking up the plank that connected the dock and ship. "What are you doing out here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. I thought you would be sleeping by now. You've had a rough day. You deserve it." I said as I watched her stroll over to stand next to me.

"I couldn't sleep in that inn. It didn't feel right. Ke'Ania and I shared a room, but I couldn't bring myself to stay." She calmly said.

"Why?"

"Ke'Ania started to cry to herself. I tried to comfort her, but I could tell that I wasn't the one she wanted to comfort. She apologized. She thought that she was being ungrateful, but I just told her that it was ok. Sometimes there's only one person that can sooth people's sorrows. And tonight… I wasn't the person Ke'Ania needed." My eyes widen at Yuna's words. I wasn't stupid. I could tell what Yuna was trying to say. She was hinting to me that Ke'Ania needed me to comfort her. Before I knew what I was doing, my feet started to run toward the dock. "She's in Room 7… In case you wanted to know." She smiled before walking toward the steps that lead below the deck.

I waited until she was out of sight before I took off again. I ran until I walked into the inn. I asked the lady at the desk where Room 7 was and she pointed me in the direction. I slowly walked toward the door before taking a deep breath and walked in. My heart felt like it was breaking when I took in the position Ke'Ania was laying in. She was curled into a tight ball and shaking. I walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down. I wanted to reach out and touch her, but when I did she just curled into a tighter ball.

"I don't want to ever do that again." She whispered softly. "I don't know if I can do that again. It was so hard to do that dance. There were so many times I wanted to stop, but kept going because I knew that Yuna was depending on me. It makes me wonder… just who has the harder job here? Me or her?" Ke'Ania didn't turn over and face me, but I could tell that she was crying her blue eyes out.

This was one of those times Lulu was talking about. I had to be her pillar of strength. I gently rubbed her head like she did for me before we came to this village. It was the only comfort I could provide for her right now. I kind of felt helpless. I hated this feeling. I don't know how long I stayed there rubbing her head. All I knew was that my hand continued to move… even after she fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

**Poll Info:**

**First Poll:**

Recently, I've come to the realization that I've become obsessed with NaruSasu or Naruto all together. All of my new ideas have been for Naruto. So to kind of give myself more of a variety, I've opened this poll to ask for your opinion. I have five one-shots for the choices on the poll, obviously, ready to be typed, like I've mentioned above. I just wanted to hear from you guys first. I feel like, as an author, I wanted to get more involved with my fans/readers/reviewers. Call me sensitive. Anyway, the rules for this poll are: You can choose up to two choices. Now, if you pay attention, there will be an 'Other' choice for you to pick. This button is for people who don't like any of the other choices and want to see me post a one-shot for another anime/manga/game/cartoon. Now the rule for that choice is, if you choose that choice, then you must provide me with the name of the anime/manga/game/cartoon and an idea for it. I'll have it ready and maybe add it onto the list of choices. Another rule is that, if you decide to choice the 'Other' choice, then you must make sure that I am familiar with said anime/manga/game/cartoon. But that shouldn't be too much of a problem since all I do is watch/read/breathe that stuff. Lol. Anyway, happy voting and remember… I WANNA HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!

**Second Poll:**

In this poll I just wanted to see which couple(s) you guys found the best out of all the stories I've written. Don't worry about some of the choices. I have one-shots ready to be posted when the time is right. I will also add more couples. You can chose up to 10 couples. Also don't worry about the poll closing anytime soon. Happy voting.


	21. The World We Live In Part 2

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Violence. Cussing. The usual. Graphic images.

**Chapter 18: The World We Live In Part 2**

**Normal P.O.V.**

**GROAN**

Ke'Ania groaned as she came out of her peaceful slumber. She was a little surprised when she came face to face with white walls and straw over her head.

"_What happened last night? Oh yeah, we fought Sin before I preformed that damn sending dance with Yuna. I feel bad for Yuna. I maybe a Pure Heart Princess and have to fight the Darkness with my friends, but at least I don't have to live in constant fear like these people do. I think I would pick the Darkness over Sin any day. Maleficent doesn't want me dead… yet… But Sin is a monster that leaves nothing but death in its wake. Yuna and her friends have to fight that thing. They could possibly lose their lives. Compared to them, my life doesn't seen that bad anymore. I don't think I could live in this world. Well, not the way it is anyway. When I leave this place, I'll make sure to count my blessings ten times a day."_

When she decided that these white walls were no longer applied to her, Ke'Ania rolled over and gasped when she came face to face with a sleeping Sora.

"_When did he get here?"_

As she continued to stare at Sora's face, her memory came back to her. She remembered sensing someone, but she didn't care who it was. She was too into her sorrow to care. This wouldn't be the first time, so she just brushed it off. But what shocked her was when she remembered that said person stayed in her room and rubbed her head all night.

"_Sora must've been the person that came in and rubbed my head until I fell asleep. Did he stay with me this whole time?"_

Ke'Ania's heart fluttered at the thought. Even though Ke'Ania didn't know the reason Sora stayed the night, it still felt good to pretend that he stayed for her. Deciding that Sora needed his rest, Ke'Ania crawled out of the bed before exiting her room. No one was at the front desk, so she was able to exit the inn without any problems. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, but the sky was nowhere near bright. Ke'Ania yawned and stretched before sniffing herself and flinching away. It's been three days since she last had a bath and now the musty scent was letting everyone know that it was here.

She thought about bathing in the ocean, but decided against it. The first reason was because there were fiends in the water. And if Ke'Ania knew something from experience, it was that _**NO**_ enemy sleeps. But the most important reason? It's just plain disrespectful. So without a second thought, Ke'Ania removed her necklace before running her hand over the 'K' pendant. The pendant started glowing yellow before disappearing. She waited a few minutes before smirking when the Gummi Ship flew into view and settled onto the water with its hatch opened for Ke'Ania to enter from the dock. She still remembers the day that Donald added the 'summoning the Gummi Ship' ability to their belongings.

Donald knew that the crew couldn't always get back to the Gummi Ship in every world so he added the ability to Sora and Ke'Ania's necklace, his wand, and Goofy's glove. So now, whenever any of them want to summon the Gummi Ship, all they have to do is hold their item up and add a little bit of magic to their item. It took Goofy practically all day to get the hang of it. It was even harder because Goofy barely had a magical bone in his body.

Ke'Ania gasped when she felt a few droplets of water get onto her socks and shoes, successfully snapping her out of her flashback. She chuckled a little before shaking her head free from the flashback. Right when she was about to board the ship, she heard light footsteps coming from behind her.

"Ke'Ania? What's that?" Yuna nervously asked.

"This is our Gummi Ship. Wanna come up and see?" Ke'Ania offered with a smile and her out stretched hand.

"_It __**looks**__ safe enough," _Yuna hesitated, but decided to trust her instincts.

Sensing Yuna's nervousness, Ke'Ania took her hand and pulled her into the ship. Yuna jumped when she heard the door close behind her.

"Why are you so jumpy?" Ke'Ania lightly laughed at her friend, "what? You never have been in an airship before?"

"Actually, no. My father never let me get on one… Not after my Mother died in one when it crashed," Yuna whispered the last part, but Ke'Ania still heard it.

Ke'Ania's once green eyes turned blue as she turned away from Yuna. "Sorry," she whispered.

"It's ok. You didn't know and I didn't tell you. She may have died about ten or eleven years ago, but it still kind of hurts to talk about it," Yuna confessed with a smile before turning Ke'Ania to face her. Ke'Ania nodded, but still felt bad. Things between the two girls got quiet until Yuna gasped in excitement, "What are these things?" She giggled.

Ke'Ania gave her a confused look before looking down, "Oh, these are the Magic Mops. They take care of the Gummi Ship while we're away. They're also my little helpers when we're here." Ke'Ania smiled as she patted the handle of each Magic Mop, "How have you guys been?"

"They can talk?" Yuna gasped.

"No, but I've learned to read their actions."

"Must be nice having help around here."

"Yeah it is. This ship is a lot bigger on the inside than it looks. These really help keep things up and running. Lord knows that I can't do it alone, and Sora, Donald, or Goofy aren't going to do it," Ke'Ania scoffed, "want a bath and some food? That's what I came in here for anyway."

"That sounds really good right now," Yuna moaned while closing her eyes pretending that she was already in the tub.

"Ok you five listen up. I need two Mops with Yuna, two Mops with me, and one Mop doing the laundry, ok?" Ke'Ania ordered as the five Magic Mops jumped up and down. "Thanks guys," She smiled before turning to Yuna. "I know you probably want to take a long bath after last night, so you can take one in my room while I take one in Sora's room. Don't worry. These guys will take care of you and while we're in the bath, this little guy will come into the room and collect your clothes so that it can wash them. By the time we're finished, our clothes should be dry."

"You don't have to do that." Yuna said.

"It's my pleasure. After all you are my guest." Ke'Ania smiled before leading Yuna to her room where two Mops will pamper the summoner like never before.

…

…

…

With a combination of the warm water, she settled in. The Magic Mops fingers started cleaning her hair and scalp, while another set of fingers messaged her feet. Yuna felt like she was floating on Cloud 9. She has never been pampered before in her life. With the lost of both of her parents, Yuna was forced to act tough, even with Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri comforting her. She had to be tough practically her whole life. There were times she was waiting for Sin to come and take her, but there were more times when she would pray to keep Sin away from her home. When she finally thought she was strong enough, Yuna decided to become a summoner. The fear of dying was what caused her many doubts, but she pushed forward and successfully finished her training. She was so excited. It felt as if all her doubts and worried disappeared with the completion of her training. That is… until she came into contact with Sin for the first time. Even with all of her friends and Valefor together, Yuna was scared shitless. While she took care of Tidus, there was only one thing on her mind… How was she going to defeat Sin if she could barely stand against its fin? She wanted to cry and give up before reaching Kilika. She wanted to cry and give up during her Sending dance. She wanted to give up now. But if she gave up now… than she would've put her family and friends through so much trouble for nothing. She had to continue. She couldn't give up. She had come too far to turn back now. Her father taught her to never give up for what she believed in, no matter how difficult the situation. When she took on being a summoner, Yuna knew the risks. She knows that her life can be taken away at any minute. She knows that her powers are nowhere near the other summoners. But, despite knowing all of this… Yuna will continue to push forward until Sin is defeated.

Yuna was snapped out of her thoughts when the two set of hands left her body. She was confused until she felt the coldness of the water she was surrounded in. What confused her even more was that she felt something wet roll down her cheek. She lifted her dry hand to her cheek and felt a tear. It made her laugh a little. She couldn't believe that she had actually cried. No matter how brave she thought she was… her tears always betrayed her. Once she finished giggling to herself, the brunette summoner climbed out of the tub and dried off. She felt like she had returned to Cloud 9 while the Magic Mops did her hair and messaged her worries away. When they were done, one of the Mops offered Yuna an average sized robe, which she gladly accepted. Once she wrapped the soft, white material around her body, Yuna exited Ke'Ania's room and followed the two Magic Mops into the kitchen, where Ke'Ania could be seen in the same white rope, her hair falling over the robe and her body, with a red mug in her hands.

"Hey, feeling better?" Ke'Ania smiled before taking another sip of her drink.

"Much better. I think that that was exactly what I needed," Yuna moaned as she stretched her relaxed muscles before her blue and green eyes rested on Ke'Ania's mug. "What are you drinking?"

"Orange juice," Ke'Ania answered as she took another swing at her orange juice, "want some?"

"Sure," Ke'Ania got up and poured the yellow liquid into another red mug before passing it over to Yuna. The summoner said a small thank you before taking a sip of the sweet juice. There was a silence in the air that drove Yuna crazy before she decided to say something. "Sorry… About making you dance with me yesterday, Ke'Ania… I had no right…," Yuna mumbled as her sadden gaze bored into the mug.

"It's alright Yuna… I did it willingly. You didn't _**make**_ me do anything. I was happy to help you," Ke'Ania widely grinned, causing Yuna to lightly smile too. "Hey Yuna…?"

"Hm?" The summoner answered as she drunk some more of her orange juice.

"How often do you have to perform these… Sending?"

Yuna put her cup back on the table before gripping said cup with both hands, "It depends on how much destruction Sin leaves behind. I've never been on a pilgrimage before, but that would be my answer for your question."

"Man… Summoners have a hard job, huh?" Ke'Ania asked, more to herself, but Yuna still heard it.

"It is hard, but you just have to remember one thing when your doubts start to get you down," Yuna lifted her head and offered her new friend a small smile.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Ke'Ania returned the smile when she met Yuna's gaze.

"You just have to keep your head up and keep your goal in mind."

"That sounds like something a motivational speaker would say," Both girls laughed. "You know… if this whole summoner bit doesn't work out, you could just be that."

"… I could… Couldn't I…?" Ke'Ania nodded to Yuna's question before finishing off the last bit of orange juice in her cup. "So… What kind of airship _**is **_this anyway?"

"This is known as a Gummi Ship. We use it to travel from world to world."

"You mean, you four fly from world to world in this large thing?" Yuna gasped as she looked around, barely missing Ke'Ania's nod. "Where did it come from?"

"I don't know. Sora, Donald, and Goofy already had the ship before I joined them," Ke'Ania confessed.

"Why didn't you tell us that you were a pure heart princess?" Yuna suddenly asked, making Ke'Ania almost jump out of her seat.

When Yuna's question had finally sunk into Ke'Ania's head, she turned her gaze to the ground before getting up and gripping the front of the stove. "Well… I~"

"_**Now this explanation I have to hear."**_ Both girls gasped as they turned to see the speaker. It was Wakka standing in front of the whole group.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ke'Ania asked as she slowly turned her head towards the group of seven.

"We saw the Gummi Ship and knew that you had to have summoned it. Everyone else just followed us in." Sora explained.

"So, Ke'Ania… Why didn't you tell us why you didn't tell us that you were a Pure Heart Princess?" Wakka asked with his arms crossed.

"How about you guys bathe first, then we'll all eat. And only then will I fill you in." Ke'Ania negotiated, causing Wakka to arch one of his eyebrows. "I promise." Wakka didn't move for a minute before finally nodding in agreement. "Good. Now there are three bathrooms within this ship. Help yourselves. The Magic Mops will help you guys with whatever you need and while you're in the tub, one Magic Mop will come by and collect your clothes so that it can wash them. Yuna and I will be cooking breakfast while you seven are in the shower." Ke'Ania informed before leading them to the rooms they'll be using.

…

…

…

After bathing and eating, the large group of nine sat in the living room in a big circle, in thier white robes, while they waited for their clothes to dry.

"Whoa! These robes are awesome. Where did those mop things get them from?" Tidus asked as he snuggled into his robe.

"They've been in the closet this whole time. I guess whoever had this ship before us left them in there," Sora answered as he did the same.

"Anyway, back to business. It's time for the four of you to do some explaining. Who are you guys? Where did you come from? Why are you hiding thing from us?" Wakka interrogated.

"I feel like I committed a murder," Ke'Ania mumbled to herself before turning back to the group, "I can't tell you much, but I can tell you what I can." Before continuing, Ke'Ania took a deep breath, "We are from another world, called Destiny Island. Our home was attacked and overrun by another enemy that plagues all of the worlds today… the Darkness… It is controlled by the head, Maleficent. She over sees everything and commands the villains of various worlds to descend upon different worlds. Their job is to take over that world and kidnap the Pure Heart Princess of that world. That's why we're here… to stop it and save the princesses… Sora is the Keyblade master. I can also use Keyblades, but that's only because my power as a Pure Heart Princess is strong enough _**to**_ use such powerful weapons. That doesn't mean that I'm invincible or anything. The only thing my Keyblades do is make it easier to fight off the Darkness and its lackeys while also increasing my magical abilities. I still have a lot to learn."

"So, wait. Does that mean that all of those special and powerful attacks were granted to you along with your Keyblades?" Donald asked.

"No. I already knew how to do those. My Keyblades only made my magical attacks more effective," Ke'Ania answered.

"Where did you learn to manipulate magic like that?" Lulu asked.

"Where I'm originally from, everybody knows how to use magic of all kinds. But only my best friends, Raven and Saedi, know more powerful spells and have natural abilities like that. The rest… we just picked up along the way."

"So the Darkness has spread here too," Yuna whispered as she lowered her head as Ke'Ania nodded, "but how?"

"Along our journey, we've discovered that the Darkness, its villains, and creatures have been creating and using doors called Doors to Darkness to enter the worlds and terrorize its inhibitors," Sora answered.

"Wait a minute! Hold the hell up!" Tidus huffed. "I'm completely lost! I have _**no**_ idea what this darkness thing or a Pure Heart Princess even is!"

"A Pure Heart Princess is a girl with the purest heart in each world that keeps the Darkness, the evil thing that can destroy a world, and its villains at bay for a certain amount of time. The goal of the leader of the Darkness is to rule over all of the worlds. But because of the Pure Heart Princesses' powers, it makes the villains' jobs harder. So their other goal is to collect all of the princesses and use their powers to unlock the giant Door to Darkness. With that opened… they'll be able to use that Darkness to destroy all of the worlds… Including the ones that managed to escape," Donald explained with his fists balled up.

"So… who's this leader that commands the Darkness?" Tidus asked.

"Her name is Maleficent. We've never met her, but we know enough to know that she's powerful. Even if I train day in and day out, gain new powers and abilities all while manipulating all of the magic and power within my body… it still won't be enough to stop her." Ke'Ania bit her lip as she gripped the ends of her robe. Everybody could see her bright red eyes glow with frustration.

"What do you mean it won't be enough? With the four of you working together, surely you guys can defeat this Maleficent person, right?" Lulu's voice held worry and panic.

Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy shook their heads. "We struggle with the villains. There's no way we can fight their boss in our condition," Sora huffed as he rested his head on his fists.

"Knowing all of this… Why would you keep this from us. We have a right to know, don't you think?" Yuna's voice held the same panic and worry as Lulu's.

"Because… Because… After Wakka told us the problems this world has been having with Sin alone… We couldn't tell you that this world is also under the mercy of the Darkness and its Heartless. You guys have some hope… I couldn't take that away. And besides… It's not like it's safe to go around blurting that I'm a Pure Heart Princess. So far, in every world, only the villain of that world knows who I or the other princess are. Everyone else just figures it out the more time we're there. If we had told you guys who we are from the beginning… we would put you five through more trouble than we already have. So far, we've only had a run in with fiends and not Heartless… I wanted to keep it that way. That's why I'm glad that we're discussing this within the Gummi Ship. We're safe from anything Darkness related. I'm sorry that you guys have to suffer more than you already are and have. I feel like it's my fault." Tear leaked out of Ke'Ania's reddish, purplish, bluish eyes. Within her multi-colored eyes, everyone could see the anger, frustration, sadness, and how sincere Ke'Ania refused to show.

The air in the room was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. No one moved, every muscle in their bodies tensed to an uncomfortable tightness.

"We'll help you," Tidus suddenly said.

"Huh?" Everyone else gasped in unison.

"We'll help you. If you four doubt yourselves this much than you guys need some major help. So how about we lend you a helping hand… or better yet… five helping hands." Tidus grinned from ear to ear.

"That's a great idea, Tidus." Yuna cheered.

"We couldn't ask you guys to do that." Goofy said.

"It'll be our pleasure." Yuna smiled.

"Speak for yourself." Wakka huffed before being elbowed by Lulu. "Ur… I mean… Of course we'd help you." Wakka's forced smile left his lips before giving a sideways glare at the raven haired girl. "But Yuna… What about your pilgrimage?"

"I'll complete my pilgrimage while helping them. We can't just let them do it _**all **_by their selves. We owe them that much as their friends."

"And besides Wakka, wouldn't it be fun to benefit from each other?" Lulu smirked.

"What do you mean, Lu?" Wakka asked.

"Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy have been and are from other worlds. So that means that they know different fighting and magic styles than we do. If we band together, every single one of us will benefit from the other. It would do us all good to learn at least _**one **_powerful spell. It would also do you boys and Ke'Ania some good to learn a few new fighting techniques. I actually think that it would actually be fun to learn how to manipulate magic in another way," Lulu smiled to herself.

"You guys would really do that?" Ke'Ania asked, her tears were long gone by now. Everyone nodded. "I don't know what to say."

"We'll start tonight. The first thing we have to do is help these people rebuild some of their homes. Then we have to go to the Kilika Temple and get Ifrit, the fire type aeon. And once we do some last minute touch ups, we'll be able to train until our hearts' content." Yuna explained.

"Won't that take all day? I thought there was a boat coming to take us to Luca today?" Wakka asked.

"I've heard, from the communications people, that they still have to get word out to the Kilika residents that went to Luca to watch the game. But, they can't make it back here tonight anyway. There's too much wreckage littering the ocean. Once they clean that up, then they'll give Luca the signal to send out the ship to pick us up and drop off some people. So, to help speed up the process, we're going to help out," Yuna explained.

"We're going to arrive on the _**day **_of the game?" Yuna nodded. "Man, I wanted to do our last practice in the sphere pool," Wakka groaned as he ran his hand over his face.

"Why don't you practice one last time in the ocean. We were just going to see just how much magic we know," Ke'Ania suggested.

"What about Tidus and me?" Sora asked.

"I already know about you two. Tidus doesn't know any magic while you only know how to use low levels of ice and fire magic. It would help you more if you just practiced Blitzball than hanging with us tonight" Ke'Ania said.

"Fair enough," Sora and Tidus nodded in agreement.

"Hey wait a minute! I just thought of something," Wakka gasped.

"That's a first," Lulu smirked.

"Choosing to ignore that," The orange haired man rolled his eyes, "can't we just travel in this ship?"

"Sorry, but this ship is solely for us to use when we're traveling form world to world. We can use our magic to call it when we need it, but even that's dangerous. The only reason I was able to call it earlier was because it was still dark enough. This can't be an everyday thing. If it was then the villain of this world would find us faster, which also means more trouble for everybody we come in contact with," Ke'Ania explained.

"No more pampering? And I was just getting used to this," Yuna pouted.

"Wait a minute… You said that each world had its own villain under the command of this Maleficent person and a Pure Heart Princess, right?" Lulu asked before Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded. "Well, do you know who they are?"

"We usually split into two groups and search for them ourselves. Whoever I team up with helps me find the princess because I'm the only one who can sense the princess, but there's a catch. I can only tell if they're still in the world and within a general area if they're within a ten foot radius. We won't know who the villain is until they make themselves known. But where ever the princess is, the villain will show up," Ke'Ania explained.

"No offense Ke'Ania, but your sensing powers suck. If I had them, I wouldn't want them." Tidus said.

"I know, but at least it helps us a little."

"So… Do ya _**know**_ who the Pure Heart Princess is?" Wakka asked.

Ke'Ania's green eyes slowly rose to meet Yuna's blue and green orbs. Ke'Ania knew what she was going to say, but she had to settle her nerve in order to make it believable. "No. I don't know who she is," She lied. "But, whoever the villain is, they'll be able to point her out."

"So… What do we do now? If Ke'Ania can't sense the princess, then we have nothing to go on," Donald asked.

"We'll just follow through with the plan until we know for certain whom the villain and the princess are," Ke'Ania said as she stood up and walked over to the window, "The sun's coming up. People should be waking too. We have to get dressed and leave now. If they see the Gummi Ship, then they'll ask too many questions and maybe attract the attention of the villain." Ke'Ania ordered. Everyone nodded before Ke'Ania summoned the Magic Mops. "If our clothes are finished, can you please bring them to us?"

The Mops nodded before fetching the group's clothes. Everyone dressed before filing out of the Gummi Ship. Once everyone was off, Donald used his magic to dismiss the ship.

"Ok everyone. Let's go see what we can do to help. Around noon or so we'll have to head to the Kilika Temple so that I can pray there and get the aeon," Yuna ordered.

…

…

…

Hours passed before noon rolled around. The sun was high in the air as it beat down on everyone.

Sweat rolled down the men's foreheads and necks as they worked hard on fixing planks and repairing destroyed broken buildings. No one shed a tear, but everyone knew they wanted to. To help ease the pain and lightened the mood, the guys started laughing and telling jokes. At first the jokes and laughs were forced, but the more they did it the better things got. They were doing some much needed male bonding time.

As for the girls, they helped out with the sick, wounded, the very few babies that survived, and the grieving parents, adults, or children. It was sad holding babies that lost their families, but at least some of the adults offered to take them in. It was a happy occasion, but most couldn't find the strength to cry tears of joy.

Taking a deep breath, Ke'Ania stood up and walked until she reached the edge of the planks, where she preformed the Sending with Yuna. Her head was hurting from all of the sadness and forced smiles she could see. Looking at Yuna and Lulu, she sighed. She wished she could be as strong as them. She could tell that they were sad on the inside, but they never showed it. They were used to death but Ke'Ania wasn't. Sure she managed to kill most of her enemies, but it still hurt her at the end of the day. Every time she thought about killing her enemies, it sent her into a small depression. She kept thinking that every time she killed a villain, she knew they had to be stopped, but at the same time she felt bad. Every time she killed a villain, she kept thinking that maybe she was taking away a relative from someone. She may have been brave and confident, or not herself at the time, but she still had her memories. She remembers killing them in either a fast or tedious fight. She remembers it all. And each person she killed… the heavier her heart felt. She never practiced hiding her emotions, but she knew she had to try. She couldn't breakdown in front of Sora every time things got too frustrating or too hard. She had to suck it up. She didn't want to be one of those weak girls who traveled with the hero and watched from the sidelines. She wanted to be on the battlefield. She wanted to be the hero's equal… She wanted to be Sora's equal… _**NOT**_ some whiney bitch who's always being rescued. She needed to be strong. If not for herself, then for Sora, Donald, _**and **_Goofy.

Just as she was about to turn away with a new found determination, something caught her attention.

"_What's that noise?" _It was faint, but her enhanced hearing picked it up. The mysterious sound got louder as she continued to look around. _"It sounded like a baby is crying." _She turned back to the planks before turning to her right.

The crying turned into wailing as she approached the edge of the planks where the sound was coming from. She slowly fell to her knees before crawling over to the edge. That's when she saw it. A barely noticeable basket hidden under something draped over it. To get a better look, Ke'Ania used her water magic to create a small wave to carry the basket and whatever was draped over it towards her. She gasped in horror at what she saw.

There was a woman's body draped over the basket. From what Ke'Ania could tell, this woman had really dark brown curly hair that reached about an inch under her shoulder blades. Ke'Ania couldn't look away from her lifeless green eyes or blue skinned. The woman's lips, lightly dusted with light blue, were slightly parted. They scared her to death. Suddenly images of all of her friends appeared into her mind. They held the same lifeless expression and they were all staring at her. Her heart raced before she quickly shook her head and created a few ripples in order to gently remove the body from the basket. The woman's corpse was slowly rolled off the basket before Ke'Ania used a few more ripples to bring both toward her. She reached down to uncover the basket to see that there was a crying infant inside. The infant was wrapped protectively inside of a white blanket. She reached down and grabbed the baby. To say that Ke'Ania was nervous was an understatement. She had never held a baby before. She was afraid of dropping it. But as she stood there, rocking and shhing the child, following her instincts, she started to gain more confidence. The baby's cries were loud, but soon quieted down as Ke'Ania continued to hold and rock it . The teenager sighed in relief once the baby finally fell asleep before taking this as an opportunity to observe the newborn.

The baby had a mop of red hair, but sparking green eyes. The peeling skin told her that this baby was still a newborn. The infant's cheeks were plumed and chubby. Its little fists rest lazily on its slowly raising chest. Ke'Ania gently held the baby as she pulled the cover down and discovered that the infant was, in fact, a little boy. Looking from both the baby and the floating woman, Ke'Ania had concluded that the deceased woman was this child's mother.

"_He must've inherited the red hair from his father."_

Ke'Ania felt bad for this boy. Here he was, alive, while both of his parents are currently gone. She didn't know about the father's well-being, but she felt somewhat good about the position she found the small child and his mother. She died, protecting her son. Ke'Ania felt somewhat good knowing that at least this infant's mother loved him.

After looking at both deceased mother and sleeping infant for a little while, Ke'Ania finally called for everyone to come to her location.

"What is it, Ke'Ania?" Yuna asked.

"I found this baby. He was floating in the water, inside a basket, with his mother's corpse draped over it." Ke'Ania explained.

"Oh dear Yevon! He's alive!" Yelled an orange haired woman before she took the baby from Ke'Ania's hold.

"You know this child?" Lulu asked the woman.

"I'm Kimma, his aunt. He's my sister-in-law, Cimun, and my little brother, Yuka's, new born. Yuka and I have been looking for them this whole time. When we couldn't find them… we thought the worse." She cried tears of joy before looking over the dock to see her sister-in-law's corpse floating there. She gasped, with her hand over her mouth, before turning away. She didn't want to cry. "Is this how you found her?" She asked in a trembling voice.

"No. I used my magic to guide them closer, so that I can get the baby. When I originally found them, Cimun's body was draped over the basket. I believe she tried to save the baby from Sin, but lost her life in exchange."

Kimma nodded at Ke'Ania's words. She believed that about her sister-in-law. If she knew one thing, both Yuka and Cimun loved their child. "Thank you… for everything you've done. You helped Lady Yuna send Cimun and the others before they turned into fiends. You found and helped reunited what's left of my family. For that… I am grateful. I am forever in your debt."

"No, no, no. That's all right. I'm satisfied knowing that you and your family can finally be together again. I don't need to be repaid," Ke'Ania nervously laughed as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh please. Allow me to repay you. You're traveling with Lady Yuna, right?" Ke'Ania nodded. "Before you guys go to the temple, please stop by my pub. I have a surprise for you," Kimma smiled before walking way with the boy in her arms.

"Well, there goes my good deed for the day," Ke'Ania lightly smiled to herself.

"You should feel good. You just brought a true smile to Kimma and her family. Congrats!" Yuna smiled as Lulu placed a hand on her shoulder.

…

…

…

"Man… Rebuilding a village is hard," Sora sighed as he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.

All of the boys and men had long stripped some of their clothes to try and cool down their sweaty bodies. Sora had removed his jacket and tossed it lazily on the fixed part of the docks. His red jumpsuit was unzipped all the way to his belt, allowing him to hang the top part over said belt. Sweat glued his bangs to his head and caused some of his spikes to drop, but still defy gravity. A thin layer of sweat glistened in the sun as it ran down his body. Goofy stripped off everything except his pants, gloves and shoes. His fur was making him hot enough. He didn't need the extra heat, from his clothes weighing him down. Donald just took everything off. He was cooking in his features. And since he didn't wear pants… why not just strip what you had on? Tidus removed his arm guard, his jacket, and his other glove, allowing his suspender straps to hang over his waist like Sora's. His once dirty blond hair that defied gravity laid flat on his head from all of the sweat he was dripping in. Wakka had removed his armguard before removing his top. Kimahri only removed his feather like wings. Some were wondering why he didn't remove more, but then tossed it aside when they remembered that he's pretty much naked, save his fur.

As the others worked, Tidus took a break. He went to get something to drink from the pub, but realized that no one was in there. So, his next moved was to find Ke'Ania and ask for her to use her magic and supply him with water. He smiled at the idea. He could just picture how good that water would taste after a hard day's work. Right when he was about to turn towards the house, he heard whimpering. Turning to his left, Tidus could see a little girl. She was balling her eyes out. Tidus's heart went out to her when he heard her calling out to her parents.

It made him sad. It made him think of his parents. His mother died when he was still young, and he could give a damn about his father. If someone were to ask him how it felt to be the "Famous Jecht" son… He would say he hated it and that he hoped his father burned in hell. The only thing he _**ever**_ liked about his father, was the fact that he taught him how to play Blitzball. And even then Tidus hated the way Jecht had taught him.

The little girl's frightened gasps had snapped him out of his thoughts. The construction she was sitting on was going to collapse any second. Thinking quickly, Tidus quickly jumped onto the most stable part of the construction before grabbing the little girl and rolling back onto the dock. The sound of the construction hitting the water let Tidus know that everything was ok.

"Hey. You all right?" Tidus grunted.

"Y-yes. T-thank you, sir," The little girl said as she shook with fear.

"Ana!"

"Kimma!" The little girl cried as she hugged the orange haired woman with a baby in her arms.

"Ana, are you alright?"

"Yes, big sister! This man rescued me before my club house collapsed."

Kimma gently pushed past her little sister before approaching Tidus. "You saved my little sister?" Tidus nodded. Kimma smiled before bowing in respect. "Thank you kind sir. We had just lost our parents. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my little sister too."

"Oh it's no biggie. Happy to help." Tidus grinned as he connected his hands behind his head.

"I must repay you."

"Oh there's no need." Tidus nervously held up his hands.

"It's no trouble. Please, stop by my pub when you can. I have something special there, you deserve." Tidus felt bad about accepting gifts in exchange for doing favors, but it's rude to refuse an offering, so he nodded in agreement. "Good. Come on Ana, let's find Yuka."

Tidus watched as the two females walked away. Suddenly he felt adrenalin run through his veins. It was the good adrenalin you experience when you do a good dead. With the devil on his heels, Tidus ran back to where the man continued to work.

…

…

…

"Where the hell have you been?" Sora questioned as he finished repairing a plank.

"You'll never believe what happened. I was going to try and find some drinking water when all of a sudden I heard this kid crying. She was sitting on this construction that was going to collapse. So, being the hero that I am, I swooped in and saved her. And now she's going reward me with a prize. She said to stop by her pub later on today. I'm thinking we should go!" Tidus excitably exclaimed.

"_**And what? Skip out on all of the hard word you didn't do?"**_

The boys turned around to see Yuna, Lulu, and Ke'Ania laughing at them. "And you're actually doing work? We're out here slaving under a hot sun, I think I got a shade darker, while you're off playing house with the rest of the girls," Sora smirked as he climbed up the planks to stand in front of Ke'Ania.

"Hey! You try watching a bunch of kids while also trying to console some mourning women. It's physically and mentally exhausting," Ke'Ania smirked back as she stepped closer to Sora, trying to hold her blush down as she gazed over Sora's body out of her peripheral vision.

"Well at least I'm doing _**real **_work."

"You smell like it too," Ke'Ania laughed as she held her nose and waved her hand.

"It's ok Ke'Ania. I know the truth," Sora smirked as he turned away.

"What truth?"

"That you like my body?"

Ke'Ania gasped before turning away with her arms crossed, "I do not!"

"Yes you do. You're eyes are a dead giveaway," The brunette teased. It was true what Sora had said. Ke'Ania did admire his body, but she would never admit that… out loud… So, instead she just tightened her arms and turned her back toward the laughing Keyblade Master. "It's ok, Ke'Ania. I know how you feel. I love my body too," Sora smirked as he flexed what muscle he did have.

Ke'Ania had to admit that even if he wasn't built like a bodybuilder, his body still looked very nice. "Hn. Whatever, Mr. Conceded. Well you guys, we're going to the temple, but before we go we have to stop at the pub over here," Ke'Ania said with one hand on her hip while her left thumb was jerked back in the direction of the pub.

"Are you a little _**young **_to be drinking, Ke'Ania?" Goofy asked.

"I'M NOT DRINKING! I rescued this lady's nephew and found the mother, so she's offering me a prize."

"No way, I'm supposed to be getting a prize from someone too," Tidus said.

"Well, before we go anywhere… you six need a bath," Lulu said before using her water magic to wash the boys off. When Kimahri and Goofy were nice and soaked, they got on all fours before shaking themselves dry while making the other guys wetter. Their fur was still damp, but they didn't mind. The rest of the guys grumbled as they felt the extra water drip off of them.

"Thanks," Sora, Tidus, Wakka and Donald grumbled with forced smiles before rolling their eyes.

"Well… at least you guys don't stink." Yuna giggled.

"A little help here, Ke'Ania?" Donald asked.

"Ugh. You guys are hopeless," She rolled her eyes before using her thermal powers to dry them off, "there you go you big babies. Now let's go."

…

…

…

"This is the aunt of the boy you found?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah? So?"

"This is the same person whose little sister I rescued."

"Wait a minute. So who is supposed to get the prize?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Oh I'm glad you two are here. I'm sorry, but I forgot that I had already promised this prize to Ke'Ania," Kimma bowed in apologize.

"Awe man," Tidus grumbled.

"Sorry Tidus. _**If**_ you're good, I _**might **_share the prize with you," Ke'Ania smirked.

"Oh? You two are traveling with Lady Yuna?" Both Ke'Ania and Tidus nodded. "Then this is wonderful news. Since you both are together, you two can share the prize." Kimma smiled.

"Say what?" Ke'Ania gasped.

"What exactly _**is **_the prize anyway?" Wakka asked.

"It's a key to a new attachment added onto the Kilika temple. I was supposed to hold onto it, but I'm sure the priests wouldn't mind. Just say that I gave it to you out of gratitude."

"Are you sure about this? We wouldn't want you to get in any trouble."

"It's no trouble, Lady Yuna. Oh and good luck at the temple. I heard that the aeon's spirit was a stubborn one," Kimma smiled as the large group exited.

…

…

…

"So what are we going to be doing while Yuna prays in the chamber? I mean, since we can't go in, we're just going to stand watch right?" Sora asked.

"We're going to pray for victory," Wakka frankly said, "just like Lord Ohalland used to do when he lived here. That man was and still is my ideal model in the art of summoning and Blitzball."

"We're going to pray for victory? Now of all times?" Tidus gasped.

"This is the only chance we get," Wakka sighed, "during Blitzball… people seem to forget about Sin and their suffering while watching their favorite team play. We haven't gotten past the first round in over thirteen years. If we're granted victory this time around, then we can prolong their amnesia."

"When you put it that way… I guess its ok," Sora hesitantly agreed as she watched the group laugh and talk ahead of them.

"Let's give it all we got. Let's kick the other team's butts, right?"

"Right!" Tidus and Sora cheered.

"Hurry up you two, or you'll be left behind," Lulu warned.

"Sorry!" The boys yelled back once they realized just how far apart they were from the group.

…

…

…

When they came to the beginning of the forest, Yuna stopped. "What's wrong," Lulu asked.

"There's something I want to ask the five of you," Yuna nervously said as she walked up to Sora, Ke'Ania, Goofy, Donald, and Tidus. "I want to ask you five… to be my guardians."

"You can't be serious. I mean, they're my friends as much as the next guy, but… Do you think that they're ready to face fiends, Sinspawn, and Sin?" Wakka asked.

"They've been doing fine so far." Lulu commented from her leaning position on the stone bridge.

"Lu? You too?"

Lulu nodded, "Wakka, you have to understand. This is Yuna's decision. If she wants to have Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tidus as her guardians… than who are we to stop her?"

"But~"

"I know what you mean and I'm pretty sure they know too. It's obvious that we're all going to get hurt, some more than others, but if they get knocked down than they have to be the ones to pick themselves up. And the same goes for us. You can't go around babying people forever. You have to let them take their first steps on their own," Lulu advised her friend as she stepped closer.

The closer Lulu got, the redder Wakka's cheeks got. To him, her voice sounded almost as a whisper. Trying to control it, Wakka turned away from the group and folded his arms, "Yeah ok fine."

"But why do you want us to be your guardians. Wakka's right, we're not ready for the enemies of this world. I don't think that we'll be much help to you while we're in this world." Ke'Ania said.

"That maybe true, but I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think that you guys were ready. I've seen the way you guys fight, and you're not half bad. And besides, didn't we all just agree to help you guys with your duties while you're in this world? This is my way of thanking you guys for everything you've done in the short amount of time we've known each other," Yuna smiled as she stood in front of the group.

The five looked at each other with different expressions before finally nodding. "Yuna… We'd be honored to be your guardians," Donald said before the group bowed.

"So… um… is there like a ceremony we have to go through or what?" Tidus asked with his hands laced behind his head.

"No. A summoner can have as many guardians as they want. All the guardian has to do is accept their summoner's invitation." Wakka explained.

"Why is there no limit? I would think that Yevon would have some type of law against that," Sora asked with his hands behind his head too.

"Well, there used to be one saying that a summoner could only have two guardians. But when High Summoner Ohalland became the third to bring Spira the Calm, 230 years ago, having four guardians at his side, the Maesters of Yevon threw it out. Thus Allowing the summoners to have as many as they see fit," Yuna informed.

"Wow, you must have like the biggest group then. You already have eight guardians, and there's no telling how many more you might gain along your pilgrimage."

Yuna giggled at Tidus's silliness. "Well, that maybe true, but at least I'll gain guardians who are willing to protect and befriend me."

"That's true. And there's nuftin like having friends by your side when things start to get too tough." Goofy smiled, allowing everyone to bathe in the truthfulness, warmth, and comfort those words provided.

While everyone laughed, Ke'Ania pointed ears picked up on something. "What's wrong Ke'Ania?" Donald asked.

"I hear something~ **LOOKOUT!**" Were the last words Ke'Ania said before she pushed Sora to the ground. Sora was about to yell at his crush, but stopped when he saw a scorched spot where he stood. After gasping in disbelief, Sora's cheeks began to turn bright red. He was propped up on his elbows while Ke'Ania straddled his waist. But when he went to point out their position, he stopped when he noticed that their faces were mere inches apart. "You're _**welcome**_, hero," Ke'Ania smirked before laughing. Soon her laughter died down when she noticed that Sora wasn't looking at her, but was looking up at her from beneath her. With what little room she had left, Ke'Ania looked down and blushed at their position. Without a second though, Ke'Ania quickly jumped off of Sora. "Sorry about that," She blushed with her back to Sora. Her eyes and cheeks were dusted with pink as she lightly scratched her cheek.

"Um… That's odd," Lulu said, ignoring the awkward moment between the two teens, as she looked as the scorch mark on the ground.

"What is it Lulu?" Yuna asked.

"These scorch marks, look like they were done by a Lightning Elemental," Lulu said, more to herself, as she as ran her fingers over the burned grass.

"A Lighting Elemental?" Tidus asked.

"They're fiends, just like the Flans, that can only be killed by magic. And just like Flans, each Elemental has its own element and its opposing element," Yuna explained.

"Alright… So we know _**what **_caused it. Now we just have to figure out where it is," Sora said as he tapped his index finger on his chin. Sora gasped when a plant type fiend appeared out of the ground. Looking closer, Sora saw that a distracted Ke'Ania was standing in direct firing range of said fiend. **"GET DOWN!"** Sora yelled before dragging Ke'Ania to the ground with him.

The seed was fired and everyone got out of the way in time to avoid the large seed. A few more seeds were fired at them before the plant fiend disappeared into the ground. Sora let out a sigh of relief before blushing at their new position. Sora and Ke'Ania's limbs were entangled with each other, but most of Sora's heavy body laid on top of Ke'Ania's back. Sora quickly jumped up before helping Ke'Ania stand. "If we're going to keep ending up in these embarrassing positions, then let's agree to _**not**_ save each other so much," Ke'Ania grumbled with her arms crossed and pink still dusting her eyes and cheeks.

"What the hell was that thing?" Tidus grunted as he got up.

"That was a Ragora; a plant type fiend. It's mostly vulnerable to fire, but has the ability to sink into and travel underground," Lulu explained as she dusted herself off.

"Oh on. Don't look not, but I think it's coming back! And it brought company!" Goofy yelled as he pointed to the lone right path. On said path, emerged three different fiends. On the left was a green lizard, in the center was the Ragora, and on the right was the Lighting Elemental. "They don't look too happy."

"We kind of figured that out," Tidus said as he, and the other eight, drew their weapons.

"Kimahri. Would you please use Lancet on the Ragora? We'll handle the rest," Lulu asked before Kimahri nodded. The blue Ronso brought his spear into his chest. Beams of energy surrounded him before a beam of energy flew out of the Lightning Elemental and into Kimahri's chest. "Now! Everyone else… Attack!"

"I've got this one," Tidus smirked as he challenged the green lizard. The lizard moved as fast as Tidus, but he managed to catch the fiend off guard before slicing it in half. "Take that!"

"Don't get cocky," Lulu said as she used her fire magic to burn the Ragora, "that's how you get things done."

"My turn," Yuna turned toward the Lightning Elemental before focusing on it. She knew that this fiend's element was lightning, so the only logic way to go was to use water. She summoned some of her water magic to her staff before practically drowning her enemy in it. "I did it!" She cheered while jumping up and down.

"Great job you three," Wakka smiled.

"Um… Lulu…? What did Kimahri do earlier?" Donald asked.

"He used an ability called Lancet. Usually, it's used to heal the user and weaken the enemy, but whenever a Ronso uses it they can sometimes learn that fiend's abilities."

"Sounds cool," Sora commented as he smiled at the tall Ronso. Kimahri didn't return the smile, but instead nodded in acknowledgement.

"But wait… Why didn't he use it before. You know, back when we were on Besaid?"Goofy asked.

"Those were your more common fiends. They appear everywhere. There's nothing you can learn from them, except your tolerance level," Lulu informed. "Come on. The temple is this way."

…

…

…

They walked through the forest for an hour, fighting fiends alike, before they heard someone shout something at them. "Halt!" The group stopped at the command. When they turned around, they discovered that it was Luzzu who had stopped them. "Lady Yuna, her guardians and the strangers from the sea?" Once Luzzu figured out that it was them, he ran towards them with a panting Gatta in tow.

"Sir Luzzu? Sir Gatta? What are you doing all the way out here?" Yuna asked, fully turning to face them.

"We came to warn you about Lord Ochu. That's the lord of these woods. He has just been woken up. We're trying to contain him now," Gatta informed.

"Yes. We have about twenty men on the job, but even they are having a hard time with it," Luzzu inputted.

"Tell your fellow Crusaders to step aside and allow us guardians to handle this beast," Tidus grinned.

"What did I say about getting cocky?" Lulu scolded.

"Sir Luzzu… if it's not too much trouble, please tell your troops to step aside and allow us to handle it," Yuna whispered.

"As you wish, Lady Yuna," Luzzu sighed in defeat before moving to stand in front of Yuna. "Please be careful. Lord Ochu's poison is the fastest way anyone can get to the Farplane. If you catch my drift. These antidotes will help remove the poison." Luzzu warned as he handed Yuna five antidotes.

"**SIR LUZZU! WE CAN'T HOLD IT ANYMORE! WE'RE RETREATING WHILE WE STILL HAVE OUR LIVES! WE'RE SORRY, SIR LUZZU!" **Yelled the last of the retreating Crusaders.

"**COWARDS!"** Gatta yelled back.

"Well, it looks like you get your wish. Please be careful you nine. If you follow this road, you'll find the fiend. Good luck." Were Luzzu's final words before running after the retreating Crusaders with Gatta in tow.

…

…

…

They did as they were told and followed the road and came face to face with the plant lord. "That's Lord Ochu? Now I see why they ran off. It's freakin _**HUGH**_!" Ke'Ania exclaimed as she used her arms for emphasis.

"Keep it down. It's going to stir," Wakka warned.

"What's it doing?" Sora asked.

"It's sleeping. That's how it reenergizes," Yuna informed.

"We better wake it up before it becomes too energized for us to handle. I think a little jolt is in order," Lulu smirked before removing her doll and shocking the plant fiend, "there. That outta do it."

Lord Ochu sired from his slumber and began to move around.

"Since he's up now, I guess it's show time," Tidus said as he withdrew his weapon.

By time the fiend finally turned to face them, everyone had already drew their weapons. "Ohhh, he looks mad," Ke'Ania laughed.

"Ok Lulu, how do we defeat this thing?" Sora asked.

"Because it's a plant type fiend, the best route to go is use fire magic. Whoever can use magic will distract it while the rest of you attack it head on," Lulu commanded before everyone nodded in agreement.

No one moved until they saw Lord Ochu's limbs come toward them. Everyone managed to move out of the way in time before beginning their attacks. Yuna, Lulu, and Donald used their most powerful fire spells. Wakka, Tidus, Kimahri, and Goofy did most of the attacking. Sora and Ke'Ania alternated between using their fire magic and fighting. Sora's fire magic was low compared to the others, so he mostly attacked.

"Hold! Wait! I have an idea!" Ke'Ania shouted, gaining everyone's attention. Even though they were paying attention, no one stopped their attacks. "Lulu, do you know how to add fire magic onto weapons?"

"I've managed to touch on the subject, but never really tried it," Lulu grunted as she continued to fling fire balls at the fiend, "but I'm willing to try."

"Good. Ok everyone! Lulu and I will add our fire magic to the people who are attacking weapons!"

"But, Ke'Ania," Wakka grunted as he threw his Blitzball, "What about me? Won't I get burned because I have to _**touch **_the ball you're going to be engulfing in flames."

"I'll use my NulBlaze ability to protect you guys from any and all fire type attacks," Yuna said.

"Ok, that works. Let's do it!" Ke'Ania cheered. And with that, the girls set to work. While Ke'Ania and Lulu added their fire magic onto the boys' weapons, Yuna used her NulBlaze ability to numb the feeling of being burned by their weapons. Now that their weapons were blazing, the battle would go a lot smoother. But what held Ke'Ania's amazement was that NulBlaze ability Yuna knew. "I have _**got **_to learn that."

The battle did go a lot smoother, but it also became a lot harder. Lord Ochu knew that its life was endangered. In its last attempt to stay alive, Lord Ochu started to swing its limbs in every which way. The more pain it felt from each slice or stab, the more violently it swung its tentacles. Kimahri hopped over one limb before jumping off the ground, spinning into the air, and landing on top of the enemy. His flamed sphere pierced the fiend's "mouth" before he jumped off.

"Nice job Kimahri!" Tidus cheered. "Now it's my turn! Take this you fiend! I call this my Spiral Cut!" Tidus jumped away from an oncoming attack from one of its limbs before gathering all of his energy and a few one handed flips before coming down onto the fiend, from a back flip, with a powerful downward cut. Lord Ochu screamed from the pain. "Ya see that, Yuna? Aren't you glad that you asked me to be your guardian?" Tidus smirked.

"_**If I have to tell you one more time about being cocky…"**_ Lulu growled as she formed a giant fireball and chucked it at the flailing fiend.

Donald and Goofy attacked continuously together. Both ran around the forest lord in opposite directions. Donald sent multiple fireballs while Goofy sliced its sides with his flamed engulfed shield. Sweat rolled down their foreheads and necks as the battle raged on. It seemed as if this forest lord was never going to die. Ke'Ania wanted to end this. She's been fighting Heartless and villains for a while now and thought that she could handle it, but all of that changed when she realized just how long and hard these battles were going to be. So, to try and end this hesitantly, she jumped into the air and readied both of her Keyblades for the final blow.

"**AHHHH!"**

Familiar screams caught her attention. Looking below her, Ke'Ania could see Donald and Goofy being flung into two separate trees by the plant lord. With her enhanced vision, Ke'Ania could see them holding their wounds, which were leaking with light green gas and a liquid.

"_That must be the poison."_

"Hang on Donald and Goofy! I'm going to end this!" Ke'Ania yelled as she tried to go back to her oncoming attack.

"**KE'ANIA! WATCH OUT!"** Sora yelled as he pointed in front of her from his kneeling position in between his two still friends.

Ke'Ania didn't know that everyone stopped their attacks when Donald and Goofy were injured, giving Lord Ochu time to retaliate. Ke'Ania's gray pupils shrunk when she saw all four of Lord Ochu's claw-like limbs came rushing at the caramel skinned girl. She was still high in the air when they finally reached her. Her screams of pain and agony echoed through the forest. Once the multiple slices from the claws finished cutting and infecting her skin, the Ochu wrapped one of its limbs around her body and flicked her off into a random direction.

She didn't hit a tree, but instead hit the ground _**hard **_before rolling around for a few times. Her body was motionless and her Keyblades had long since disappeared. The green liquids and gases were leaking from her opened wounds, but she made no protesting sounds. All of these signs indicated that she was no longer conscious. Sora felt his legs hold his weight as he rushed over to his crush's side. He fell on all fours and stared at her limp form. Ke'Ania's once lively eyes were half-lid, lifeless and white. Her full pink lips were slightly parted. Her clothes were torn slightly in some, but meagerly in other places. Sora didn't want to believe it, but the condition of her body made it believable all too well. He didn't know if Donald and Goofy were going to make it. They were infected with poison from the few deep cuts they had, but Ke'Ania's was worse. Cuts and blood littered both of her arms, legs and all over her torso and back. There were too many to count… just like the tears he tried to hold back. He tried to reach out to touch her, but a pale hand grabbed his.

"Don't touch her. With your cuts, you'll get infected too," Lulu warned before letting his hand fall out of hers.

"I'll try and heal her Sora. Please… finish this fight," Yuna pleaded with a sad smile.

Sora's bangs hid his face as he stood up. He knew that Yuna would do her best, but doubt got the better of him. He felt that he had failed. Three of his best friends were going to die because he wasn't strong or fast enough to save them. Pictures of their smiling faces suddenly popped into his mind as he walked forward. Happy memories flashed through his head, trying to distract him. But the only thing Sora could think of… was that he was going to bury two of his best friends and the girl he only recently discovered that he loved in this horrific world.

Feeling a sudden burst of energy emerge from his stomach, Sora ran toward the giant fiend with heated tears in his eyes. He was only three feet away from Lord Ochu when he jumped into the air, used his fire magic to summon a giant fireball at the end of his Keyblade, and hurled it at the plant fiend. Its last screams filled the forest atmosphere before it finally disappeared. Only its Pyreflies were left in the wake of its defeat.

When Sora landed, he dismissed his Keyblade before rushing over to where Yuna worked. "How are they?" He asked with worry and fear laced in his words.

"I managed to remove the poison and heal both Donald and Goofy, so they're going to be fine. All they need is a bit of rest. But with Ke'Ania… it's touch and go." Yuna said. Sora nodded before kneeling next to the summoner. Yuna focused some of her powers into her staff, causing the bell on the end to glow white, before turning it around and slowly jiggling it over her body. "Hum… That's odd."

"What's wrong, Yuna?" Sora panicked.

"It seems as if most of the poison and her wounds are starting to disappear. I just removed what's left and now… I can't sense anymore poison in her body."

"Wow, Yuna. It seems that you're a betta healer than you thought, huh?" Wakka smiled.

"I didn't do it. I don't know what's going on, but I've never seen anything like this. I wonder… what is Ke'Ania exactly?" Yuna asked as she turned her head towards Sora.

Sora just shrugged. "I don't know. Ke'Ania may be one of my best friends but she still hides things from me. So far, all I know is that she doesn't remember where her home world is and that she's definitely different from any human I've ever met," Sora explained.

"Did it ever occur to you that she may _**not **_be human?" Lulu asked out of pure curiosity.

Sora just gave her a confused look. Lulu didn't know that meeting people from another race of beings is foreign where Sora is from. Before Sora could respond, someone interrupted him.

"_**You know… it's rude to talk about people… like they're not there…" **_Ke'Ania tried to smirk as one of her eyes struggled to stay open.

"_Ke'Ania sounds different," Sora thought._

"Hey… You ok?" Sora lightly smiled as he leaned over Ke'Ania a little bit.

"I'll live…" She coughed up some blood before whipping it away with the back of her gloved hand.

"Be careful," Sora warned.

"Where are Donald and Goofy?" Ke'Ania asked while her pale orange eyes looked form side to side.

"We're right here," Donald struggled to say.

"Donald! Goofy! You're alright!" Tidus cheered while half of the group ran over to the two.

"What happened?" Goofy asked as he tried to sit up, but pain shot through his body and head. His hand held his head before falling back onto the ground.

"Try not to move so much, especially you Ke'Ania. The poison maybe gone from your bodies, but you three are still very weak and very vulnerable. You could open old wounds," Yuna warned.

"I'll be fine," Ke'Ania struggled to say as she tried to stand. "All I need to do is get up and walk around for a bit and I'll be~" Before she could finish her sentence, her legs gave out and she fell, only to be caught by Sora. Sora gasped when he felt some of Ke'Ania's warm blood run down his arm from a few opened wounds. "Don't worry… I'll be fine. But if it'll make you feel better, I won't move around so much," Ke'Ania smiled at a glaring Sora. She has never on the receiving end of one of Sora's glares, but it didn't faze her. Instead she just sighed before turning away. "Don't give me that look. I know I didn't listen Yuna's warning, but I've always been the one who never listen and is hardheaded. This is nothing new."

"I'm just worried about you."

"I know," Ke'Ania said as her pale orange eyes gazed into Sora's ocean blue.

Ke'Ania's hand came to touch his cheek before falling lazily onto his shoulder.

"Ke'Ania…" Lulu called, causing everyone to turn to her. She bit her lips before finally asking: "Just _**what**_ exactly _**are **_you? The healing powers you posses are like nothing we've ever seen before. I'm curious… Are you another species besides human?"

"I'm sorry, but I cannot answer that… right now. Maybe one day I'll be able to tell you… But not today… Not right now…"

There was silence in the once noisy forest before Lulu stood up and dusted herself off. "Let's keep moving."

"What?" Tidus and Sora gasped at the raven haired woman.

"The quicker we get to the temple, the quicker we can get these three back to the village and have them rest. They'll only weight us down if we hesitate anymore," Lulu explained as she slowly started to walk away.

Wakka stepped in when he felt one of the two boys protest, "She's right you know. Come on."

Sora and Tidus looked at each other before sighing in defeat. Sora draped Ke'Ania's laxed arm over both of his shoulders before hooking it under both of her arms, successfully placing her in the bridal position. Tidus had a little trouble, but he eventually got Donald onto his back. Kimahri gently picked Goofy up before draping the dog over his shoulder.

…

…

…

They walked along the water bank before finally coming to stone steps. No one talked. Ke'Ania, Donald, and Goofy tried their hardest to stop themselves from slipping in and out of consciousness. The group climbed the stairs while being mindful of the injured that Sora, Tidus, and Kimahri were carrying. Everyone else had minor scratches and scraps that didn't need to be healed right away, so there was no reason for Yuna to use all of her magic at that moment.

The silence that stretched over them was kind of intense, so Wakka tried to lighten the mood with a bit of history. "You know…" He started with a smirk, "these stone steps are a tourist attraction."

"Really?" Tidus asked as he adjusted Donald on his back.

"Yep. Before Lord Ohalland became a summoner, he would train on these steps for when it came time to blitz."

"Wakka, just who is this Lord Ohalland person? I heard you mention him before, but you never told us who he was," Sora asked.

Everyone in the group stopped on the stone steps as they turned to their orange haired story teller. "Lord Ohalland was one of the greatest Blitzball players in all of Spira before deciding to go into the art of summoning 230 years ago. He was the third High Summoner to defeat Sin. Does that answer your question?" Sora nodded before adjusting Ke'Ania in his arms.

"Let's keep going. The temple isn't too far away. Hopefully they'll have some bandages for you guys." Yuna smiled before leading the group further up the stairs.

"Wait…" Ke'Ania panted as her fight to stay conscious continued. "Trouble… ahead… Be… careful…"

"What did she mean?" Lulu asked.

"I don't know. Maybe… **THAT**!" Tidus yelled as he pointed to freely moving tentacles coming from the ground.

Everyone rushed to the top and came face to face with two tentacles before a giant armor like shell emerged from the ground. "What do we do now?"Sora asked.

"We fight. Go put them in that corner," Lulu ordered with her pointed finger. "They'll be safe over there."

The three boys nodded before doing what they're told. Donald and Goofy were knocked out cold, but Ke'Ania was still awake. "Wait Sora…" She grunted out as she tried to move her extremely sore body "I… wanna… fight… too…"

"No. You're too weak. Stay here where you'll be safe from harm," Sora ordered before he felt a weak tug on his jacket.

"Stay…" A simple command was heard from the weak girl.

Sora didn't know what to do. He was worried about his friends, but he knew they needed his help. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. "I'll stay." Sora said before turning toward the group of five. "I'm going to stay here and make sure that Ke'Ania doesn't get up!" He shouted.

He quickly went to sit beside Ke'Ania before placing her head on his chest. The sound of his beating heart lulled Ke'Ania into final unconscious. Once he was sure that Ke'Ania was asleep, he gently slipped off his jacket and laid it on the ground to use it as a pillow for Ke'Ania's head as he gently laid her down before running into battle.

"What I miss?" He smirked as he deflected a tentacle.

"I thought you were staying out of this?" Tidus asked while attacking a tentacle.

"I had to make sure the others were sleeping first." Sora explained. "So… how do we defeat this thing?"

"Well there are three parts we have to take care of first, the two tentacles and this hard shell. I tried to use magic on the shell but it doesn't seem to be working. So, for right now, just focus on the tentacles," Lulu commanded.

The gang used the same technique on the tentacles. Having the group split up was starting to become a bad strategy, so they combined forces to destroy at least one of them. After about a minute or so of non-stop attacking, they were finally able to get rid of one tentacle.

"On to the next one," Yuna panted out as she rubbed a bead of sweat from her forehead.

Right when they were about to attack the final tentacle, they noticed something was wrong. Looking to their right, they saw that Ke'Ania, Donald, and Goofy were gone. They looked around before looking up. The last held their missing, unconscious, companions in its clutches.

"Great. How are we supposed to get them down?" Tidus groaned.

"I have an idea. I burn it at its base, it'll struggle for a little bit before finally releasing them. That's when Kimahri will jump in and catch them before keeping them out of harm's way until Yuna finishes the burning job. Ok everyone, into position," Lulu ordered before everyone moved to into their positions.

The plan had worked like Lulu said it would. When she burned the base of the tentacle, it struggled before letting Ke'Ania, Donald, and Goofy go. Kimahri may have been big, but he was light on his toes. He jump and caught them in mid-air before landing in the corner they were originally at. With them a safe distance away, Yuna was able to burn the last tentacle with ease. Deeming it safe, Kimahri set the three companions down before joining the others in battle. The ground and the shell started to shake before a giant fiend with long tentacles and three pedals behind it emerged from the shell.

"Looks like we have our work cut out for us," Lulu smirked. "Everyone! Same strategy!"

With the final orders given, everyone rushed into battle. Lulu and Yuna used magic while the boys fought it off. Irritated at the humans' attempt at defeating a powerful Sinspawn like itself, the Sinspawn spat out a ball of green liquid. They watched in shock as the ball burned a hole in the ground.

"It can spit venom too? It is one nasty beast." Wakka smirked.

Everyone continued to attack the Sinspawn in the same formation for a while before Sora got an idea, "Yuna. Can you please summon Valefor for me? I need her for my final attack." Yuna nodded at Sora's request before summoning her first aeon. While Yuna was petting Valefor's head, Sora came up to the two and started to tell Yuna and Valefor the plan. "You got that girl?" Valefor nodded. "Good. Now, let me up please." Sora hopped on Valefor's back before taking to the skies. Below them the Sinspawn continued to fight with the rest of the group almost forgetting about Sora and Valefor. "You ready girl?"

Valefor spun around quickly, picking up dust from her quick movement, before summoning energy. During this time, Sora had jumped off her back and started summoning the strength from earlier. When he found it, he was able to create the giant fireball from before. Together, both teammates released their attacks. Valefor's energy created a deep trail running across the Sinspawn's body before exploding. Right when the ground beneath exploded, Sora unleashed his fireball before landing safely on Valefor's back. The display was a beautiful work of art. The flames continued to burn high for a few minutes before finally settling down. Just like the last fight, this enemy also left Pyreflies where it once stood. With the victory over their enemy, Valefor took Sora down before disappearing into the sky.

"Man… I'm exhausted," panted Sora.

"Me too, I don't know how you guys can do this and _**not **_be exhausted," Tidus grinned as he sat on the cool stone floor.

"It's all about endurance, my friends. But hey, you two weren't so bad against your first Sinspawn. Maybe you guys will make good guardians." Wakka laughed. "Come on. Grab the sleeping triplets and let's go."

…

…

…

The Kilika Temple was unlike anything Sora and Tidus had ever seen before. There were tons of stairs that lead to the front of the temple. There were wide open spaces. You could practically see the village from this height if it wasn't blocked off by all of the tall trees. Within the wide open space were big spheres with red flames burning bright within them. You could hear the Hymn of the Fate. It was actually soothing to listen too. Sora looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. For the first time since the Sending, Ke'Ania actually looked peaceful.

"You said that Ke'Ania could hear the Fayth's actual gender singing in the Besaid Temple, right?" Lulu asked before Sora nodded. "Ke'Ania… What is the gender you hear singing now? If this works out, then it'll answer a lot of questions."

Ke'Ania stirred in Sora's arms before her sleepy eyes landed on some stairs heading downwards. "I hear… a man… A man… is… singing…" She struggled to say before going back to sleep.

"Well, let's see if she's right. Come on everyone. The Closter of Trials is down below," Wakka said as he led them down there.

…

…

…

The inside of the temple was closer together, but not entirely cramped. When the group first entered, Wakka immediately went to a man's statue and begun praying.

"Lord Ohalland, guide our feet," He chanted over as he continued to pray.

The rest of the group just watched as Wakka pray, each wishing that his prayer was heard and granted. Sora has never played and only knows the basics, so he was in high doubt of his skills. Tidus was a Blitzball whiz-kid, but even he had his doubt. The only thing that can help them is skill, luck, and a little bit of praying.

Everyone turned their heads to the top of the stairs when the doors opened. A woman, about one shade darker than Ke'Ania and her long hair tied into a high ponytail, and a big built man stepped out and descended the stairs. From the looks of it, they just came from the Chamber of the Fayth.

"Who are you?" The woman asked.

"I am the summoner Yuna. I come from the island of Besaid. And you are…?"

"Dona. I too am a summoner and this is my guardian Barthello," The lady introduced as she and Yuna did the pray bow. Once they came up, Dona got a chance to get a good look at Yuna. "So you are the famous daughter of Braska? It's good to see a daughter follow in her father's footsteps. But, are you absolutely sure you can live up to his name?" She smirked before looking at everyone in the room. "Are these _**people**_ your guardians? Wow, there's a bunch. If I remember correctly, your father only had two guardians. What's the matter, not feeling confident in your own abilities?" Dona laughed behind her hand. "I only have need for one guardian… _**right, Barthello**_?"

"You may only need one guardian, but I am honored to have all eight of them as my guardians. They're not only my guardians, but they are also my friends. I trust them all with my life as we travel to face Sin together. So, Lady Dona, I ask of you to please leave me and my friends alone, and I'll do the same too you," Yuna said with her feet planted firmly on the ground.

"You've got spunk, I'll give you that… very well then. You go your way and I'll go my way. No hard feelings. Let's go Barthello," Dona commanded.

Once she left, Tidus and Sora complained about the bad aura she created. "Stop complaining and let's move it already," Lulu said as she walked up the stairs.

…

…

….

Once the group entered through the double doors, they were greeted by an elevator with a red symbol on the bottom.

"Will this take us to the Closter of Trials?" Tidus asked as he bumped Donald up on his back.

"Yes, but I think Sora, Kimahri, and you should stay behind," Lulu said.

"Why?" Sora asked.

"Once we reach the Chamber of the Fayth, anything could happen. Their conditions could get worse. Yuna could be excommunicated because of anything you guys do. There are endless possibilities. I'm not willing to take that chance," Lulu glared.

"Let… me… through…" Ke'Ania panted.

"You heard what Lulu said Ke'Ania. Your condition could get worst. It's ok, we can wait out here," Sora said calmly.

"No… I need… to get to… the chamber… It'll heal… me… faster…"

"How do you know?" Yuna asked.

"I can… control… every… element… known to… man… I have… ever since… I learned to… control… the powers… I've inherited… Lightning… Fire… and Ice… are my… most powerful… elements… Lightning… is my… number one… element… Yuna…? Is there… a lightning temple… in Spira…?"

"Yes. It's called the Djose Temple. That's the next temple we have to go to. But what does that have to do with you healing faster? Why can't I just heal you myself?" Yuna asked.

"You healing me… will only go… so far… I need to be… close to… a strong elemental source… to heal faster… Since the… lightning temple isn't close… I need to be close to my next… strongest element… Fire… If I'm close to… the fire source I'm sensing… then most of my power… will return… and I'll be able to heal… to the point of… being able to… be independent and battle again… Until we reach… Djose temple… I won't be completely healed… but it'll be enough… to assist you… After the source… heals me… most of my powers will return… and I'll be able to use my magic… to heal even faster… Makes sense…?" Ke'Ania explained through labored breaths.

Sweat rolled down her forehead and made her hair stick to her face. She was so close to the source, but it was to painfully far away. Her body trembled in Sora's arms as she tried to bear the pain coursing through her body. Seeing just how much Ke'Ania needed this, Lulu sighed in defeat before walking onto the elevator. "Let's go."

Once everyone stepped onto the elevator, the red symbol started to glow red before it descended to the lower part of the temple. When the elevator finally stopped, they came face to face with a long hallway, lit with captured flames, and another set of double doors.

"Through those doors lies the Closter of Trials. You guys ready?" Wakka asked. Everyone nodded before heading through the double doors.

Once they passed through the double doors, they were met by another door and a pedestal holding a sphere engulfed in flames.

"Just how many doors are in this temple anyway?" Tidus asked.

"A few more," Wakka laughed before grabbing the flame sphere. "This, kiddies, is known as a Kilika Sphere. When you place these spheres into these slots, the fire contained in these spheres will follow the lines and give the image of burning the door. Like so…" Wakka explained as he demonstrated. Tidus and Sora wowed at the site. "And when the door disappears, you just simply remove the sphere and continue onto the next room. These spheres like the Destruction Spheres, gives us the allusion of the door actually burning into ashes. In actuality, it's just a temporary way for us to pass through the door."

"So are there like endless supplies of these spheres or what?" Sora asked.

"Nope. What you see is what you get. That's why other summoners and their guardians have to wait until the current summoner and their guardians to finish their business before they can enter and be tested. If you fail the Closter of Trails, then you will not be able communicate with the Fayth," Yuna smiled as they continued.

When they came to the second door, Wakka inserted the Kilika Sphere before removing it. The flame uncovered a glyph. When Wakka tried to touch the glyph, he was burned. "What happened?"

"I don't know. Ke'Ania touched the glyph with no problem last time. I wonder why it didn't work for Wakka?" Sora asked.

"Could it be that it's because of who she is and the power she has?" Lulu theorized.

"I don't know. Let's see," Sora lifted Ke'Ania's limp hand to touch the symbol, but it didn't work. "It didn't either."

"She must need to be conscious for it to work." Wakka said with his arms crossed.

"Or her powers must be flowing through her. She did say that her powers were drained," Lulu said.

"Let me try something…" Yuna mumbled before moving to touch the glyph. When she did, the wall lifted up to expose a room filled with flames. Some might've said that it was the Devil's second home. "That's weird."

"What's weird?" Sora asked.

"When I touched the symbol, it worked."

"You're a summoner, Yuna. Of course it'll work," Lulu said.

"No… It's different. Every time I touch those symbols or get too close to Ke'Ania, I can feel electricity flowing through me, but it's not dangerous… it's gentle."

"Do you think that maybe _**you're**_ the Pure Heart Princess-thing Ke'Ania talked about earlier?" Tidus suggested.

"I don't know. It's a possibility, but I won't know for sure until I talk to Ke'Ania." Yuna said. "Come on. The chamber isn't too far now. We just have to go through those doors over there."

After nodding, Lulu went over to the secret door on the wall and removed another Kilika Sphere, causing the flames to pass over the hole. Tidus was next. He grabbed the Glyph Sphere and placed it in the hole Lulu just took the Kilika Sphere out of. They wait for a few seconds before the secret door opened. Inside, a Destruction Sphere nested on a pedestal stuck in the wall. To their left, the flames that covered the bottom disappeared. Without the lines connecting, there was nothing keeping the flames lit. Where large flames once blazed, there was only a line covered in little flames.

"Kimahri," Yuna called to the Ronso. "Lulu will place her Kilika Sphere into the pedestal back there. Can you please move it for me?" The blue Ronso nodded as he waited for Lulu to do her part. Once Lulu did it, Kimahri gently put Goofy down before moving the pedestal. "Can you please move it into the upper right hand corner?" Kimahri nodded before moving it. Once the pedestal reached the corner, it started to burn. Soon the fire spread to the ground below it, causing it to sink to the bottom. "Thank you, Kimahri." Yuna smiled. "You can put your sphere down Wakka."

"Good. It was starting to get hot." Wakka laughed before placing said sphere into one of the pedestals placed in the wall. With that sphere gone, the gang was able to walk the mini hallway to another set of stairs, being careful to _**not **_touch the glowing line. Before going down the stairs, Tidus made sure to grab the Destruction Sphere.

"Another Kilika Sphere? Man, just how many are there?" Tidus groaned.

"This is the last one. I think that this is the one we have to use to burn the door. I wonder what will happen if we put the Destruction Sphere in its place?" Yuna asked, more to herself. Wakka removed the Kilika Sphere, making the line below stop glowing, and placed it into the hole by the door, causing it to burn. While Wakka inserted his sphere, Tidus inserted the Destruction Sphere. Everyone hid on the steps when they heard the wall crack. Yuna smiled when she saw past the wall and found a treasure chest. "We found where the Kilika Treasure was hiding!" She cheered as she ran over to collect it.

"Oh wait. Here, Yuna. I forgot to give you the treasures from Besaid," Wakka laughed as she scratched the back of his head while handing Yuna the treasures.

"Thank you Wakka," She smiled before turning back to open the treasure chest and reach in without looking. Everyone gasped at what Yuna pulled out. It was a large white wolf fang dangling from a piece of string. Whoever this Fayth was, he must've had a fascination with wolves or loved to hunt them. One could ever get a clear indication from any of the five objects places within the treasure chest. Yuna placed the fang necklace into her silk cloth before tying it tightly around her left leg. "Shall we move on?"

"What do you want me to do with this sphere?" Wakka asked.

"Put in an emptied pedestal until we finish fixing the cloister." Lulu ordered before entering the "emptied" threshold.

…

…

…

As soon as they entered the chamber, Yuna went into the room with the Fayth while everyone else waited outside. Sora, Tidus, and Kimahri placed the trio down before sitting down themselves. They just sat there, listening to a male's voice sing the Hymn of the Fayth. By now, everyone guess that Ke'Ania's prediction was correct. The Fayth's gender was very well a man's.

The group of eight was quiet until Tidus spoke up.

"Quick question… Just what _**is **_a Fayth?"

"People who gave their lives to battle Sin. Once upon a time, there were ten people who watched as their homes were destroyed by Sin. They didn't know any summoners, nor did they really know each other. But as a group, they traveled all over Spira until they found Yevon. Feeling helpless and shameful, those ten offered their lives to help Yevon find a way to rid this world of Sin. Yevon accepted their souls and sealed them into eight statues before placing them deep within the temples. In those statues, the Fayth live forever in slumber until they are beckoned by a summoner. When the Fayth deem the summoner worthy, they are given movement in their new forms. The aeons, summoners use to fight, is the form Yevon has given them. But to strengthen the connection between summoner and Fayth, Yevon took five of the Fayth's most valuable possessions and hid them in a treasure chest within the temples. Once a summoner has collected one item for each aeon, the bond between summoner and aeon will increase tenfold," Lulu explained.

"Wow. Ok, so right now, Yuna is making a contract with the Fayth to obtain the aeon, right?" Sora asked. Their conversation was about to continue, but failed to when they saw Ke'Ania try to get up. "You shouldn't be moving. You'll open your wounds again, you hardheaded little girl," Sora smirked at his tease, but stopped when he noticed that Ke'Ania wasn't listening to him.

Her body continued to struggle to get up. Her eyes freaked everyone out when it looked like she just had a slit, but when they looked closer, they saw the faded outline of her iris. Her legs shook violently as they tried to support her weight. Her pink lips were slightly parted as she breathed hard in and out of them. Everyone called out to her, but she never responded. They watched in horror as she moved, like a puppet on a string, toward the chamber's door. Kimahri tried to push her back, but got tossed aside instead. Sora didn't know what to do. He had never seen Ke'Ania this way before. Not even when he first met her or when she got really mad. It actually scared the living daylights out of him to see his crush act this way.

Ke'Ania's body finally stopped when she stood in front of the chamber's door. They feared that she would go in, but never did. Instead, the symbol above the door started to glow red before a ray shot out from its eyes and straight into her chest. Everyone just watched the scene before them. They never encountered anything like this before. They wanted to see how this would all turn out. The color of the ray outlined her body before lifting her off the ground. Her head and limps all hung loosely at her sides as the fire from inside the glass containers shot out and surrounded her body. The ray had disappeared, leaving only the four flames holding her up. The flames had turned her form to the side so every could see what was going on. The flames that surrounded her made her socks and shoes disappear before her knees curled into her stomach. Her head was thrown back and her arms were floating behind her. From this position, if someone were holding her, she would be in the bridal position. Sora's eyes traced from the middle of her calf, where the black flames she inherited in Deep Jungle started, to her ankles, where it ended. Ke'Ania almost never runs around barefoot so this was the first time he got a good look at her feet. Her big toe was a about half an inch longer than her second toe and her toenails were longer than normal, making them look more like claws. This stunned Sora. Later on, he'll have to ask Ke'Ania to show him more of her beyond the normal features.

The flames that surrounded her body flew into her slightly parted lips before completely disappearing. The black flames on her legs started to glow red and extend two inches above her knees before turning black again. They didn't go away like last time, but instead remained imprinted on her legs, making them look like tattoos. Once that was done, the flames came out of her mouth and formed her socks and shoes before going back into the glass containers.

Sora was the first to get up as Ke'Ania started to descend to the ground. He held her upper body in his arms. Everyone crowded around him as they waited for her next movement. Her eyelids twitched before slowly fluttering open. Sora smiled when he saw that they were green.

"Sora? What's going on? Where am I?" She quietly asked.

"I'll explain everything to you later on, but right now… I'm just glad you're alright," Sora smiled brighter as he whipped away tears.

"Alright, alright. Don't get all emotional on me," Ke'Ania smirked before getting up. She stumbled a little before shrugging her shoulders with a smile. "So where's Yuna?"

On cue, Yuna came stumbling out of the chamber before falling onto her knees. "Ke'Ania? You can stand?"

"Yeah. Which is less than what I can say for you," The teen smiled before pulling Yuna up. They had a silent conversation before Ke'Ania turned to the group with a smile. "So… What did I miss?"

…

…

…

"Ahhh, Lady Yuna and her guardians. I'm so sorry for not being here to greet you earlier but I had other matters to attend to. I assume that you were successful in your praying and obtained our aeon?" A male priest said with his hands behind his back. Yuna nodded with a smile. "Would you like to summon your aeon and see your new partner."

Yuna nodded again before pulling out her staff and getting into her summoning position. Yuna stretched her arms out before bringing her staff into her chest again. She began to spin her staff in a clockwise fashion, with balls of fire following her staff before collecting at the center. The ball of fire fell to the floor before spreading into a circle as Yuna knelt to the floor. A symbol appeared on the coarse ground underneath her feet before starting to crack. Everyone stood back when the ground suddenly rose up with the aeon between two large lava boulders. The aeon stretched his limbs, destroying the rocks, before catching Yuna on his right forearm. After the two fell to the ground, Yuna hopped off before the aeon gave a loud roar. Yuna smiled at her newest aeon as she petted his horn covered head.

"Everyone… I'd like you to meet Ifrit, the fire element aeon." Yuna introduced. "It'll be a pleasure working with you," The aeon nodded before turning into a giant fireball and sinking into the ground.

"Congratulations, Lady Yuna. I'm very pleased to know that you'll become a great summoner like your father," The priest smiled. "I also must thank you for performing the Sending yesterday and for getting rid of Lord Ochu and that Sinspawn earlier. In my thanks, I wanted to offer you and your guardians some time in our new hot springs, we built to help ease the minds of villagers, but I don't remember what I did with the key."

"Oh… You mean this key?" Ke'Ania said as she pulled the golden key out of her pocket.

"Oh yes that's it. Well… now that you guy have the key, you have my permission to use the hot springs. Enjoy."

…

…

…

The group waited for Donald and Goofy to wake up before getting in. The nine of them practically jumped into hot springs. The girls had their girl talks while the boys teased each other about the girls they liked. When they thought they could, Tidus, Sora, and Wakka tried to get a peek at the girls… that is until Ke'Ania and Lulu sensed them. That was the night everyone found out how scary Yuna can be. She's not as scary as Ke'Ania or Lulu, but pretty darn close. Yuna and Ke'Ania later on apologized before healing their bruises and wounds.

That night, on the dock, Yuna stood with her arms behind her back. The wind gently caressed her cheeks and hair. When the scent of strawberries caught her attention, Yuna turned and faced her long haired companion.

"What are you doing out so late?" Yuna asked.

"I should be asking you the same. But, I do have something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh yeah, what is it?"

Ke'Ania smirked as her black eyes gazed into blue and green eyes, "I have a plan, but I need your help."

**Author's Note:**

I will be taking this story down and reposting once I finished all of my stories, but don't worry I'll still be updating so that when I finally repost this story you guys can just pick up where you guys left off. Thanks everyone for understanding.


	22. Game On!

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Possible mistakes. Violence. Cussing. Tender moments. The usual.

**Author Notes:**

Sorry for being late on the updates everyone, but don't worry. I haven't stopped writing. Updates will be showing up more often now. Thanks for being patient. Oh and for anyone who's interested, I have a brand new poll on my profile asking which couples you guys liked from any of my older, current, or upcoming stories. The winner will have either an entire story, or one-shot dedicated to them. The poll will be closing July 31st, 2012. Have fun voting. Oh and if you're also curious as to who won my last poll it was InuYasha and Final Fantasy XIII (13). For any more information on the two winners please visit my profile. There you'll see the future for the winners. And thanks again for voting.

I would also like to say that in this chapter you'll Ke'Ania's technical character develop. Some people have said that she's a Mary Sue because she's all knowing, extremely powerful, and because Sora and she are in love. I'm here to do some explaining. First of all, Ke'Ania is not all that powerful and you'll see why when I make her explain it to Sora. Second, she isn't all knowing. She just paid attention when she attended school, she's naturally smart, and because she has a good memory. With her memory she can recall a lot of things she's read or was taught, like most of us. Me for example. The last thing, Sora's personality didn't change because he's in love with Ke'Ania. He's still cheery and whatnot. The only thing I changed about him is the fact that he can cuss now. Another thing I have to say is that, yes there are sometimes when Sora is a little OC when it comes to Ke'Ania. That is only because this is how I believe Sora would've acted if his crush was tagging along and fighting by his side. Remember people, Kairi wasn't fighting alongside him, she was gone during most of the games. And the one time she did fight… she wasn't that good at it. I wanted Ke'Ania to be one of those girls who don't like to be rescued all the time and wants' to show the world that girls' can fight just as good as the boys. Again like me. Although, there are times when she drifts back to a defenseless little girl, she'll explain. And in case you are wondering… yes, I did model her after me.

Oh for those of you who are smart and observant, yes I did change a few things while writing these Disney, Kingdom Hearts, and Final Fantasy scenes. Of course I had to change it. It wouldn't make any sense if I didn't.

Anyway, I'm done ranting. So hope you enjoy this new chapter.

**Chapter 19: Game On!**

**Normal P.O.V.**

"Ugh. I hate them," Tidus groaned when he returned with Wakka and Sora.

"Who are you talking about?" Lulu asked.

"We just ran into the Luca Goers on our way back from praying for victory again," Wakka explained.

"Oh no. Please tell me you three didn't do anything stupid?" Lulu groaned with her hand on her temple.

"No, but I stopped Tidus from practically killing Bickson, their captain," Wakka said.

"Who're the Luca Goers?" Goofy asked.

"They're the most famous Blitzball team in all of Spira. They've won the last several tournaments. They're also the Besaid Aurochs' main rivals. They're the team Wakka wants to beat the most." Yuna explained.

"I can understand why Wakka might hate them, but why would you?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Their smug attitude reminds me for my father. They both liked to put people they thought inferior to them down."

"You're lying, Tidus. The Jecht I knew was kind and caring man." Yuna defended.

"Well then we met two totally different Jechts." Tidus glared at the ocean with his arms crossed.

"**ALL ABOARD FOR LUCA!"** The captain shouted from the deck.

Everyone turned to each other before boarding the ship. The silence was a little awkward, but not totally uncomfortable. Once everyone was on board, the ship took off. Yuna, Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, Wakka, and Goofy all waved bye to the villagers. Lulu and Kimahri sat at the top of the deck while Tidus sat on the edge and continued to glare at the floor. Even though each of the nine had something else on their minds, they were all praying for a safe voyage.

…

…

…

Tidus didn't know how long he glared at the floor. All he could think about was how much his father, Jecht, pissed him off.

"Damn you, old man." Tidus scoffed to himself.

"What's wrong?" A timid voice asked.

"Oh hi Yuna, what's up?" The dirty blond nervously laughed.

"That's what I'd like to know. You've spent hours glaring at the ship's floor." Yuna expressed as she leaned against the ship's side.

"Oh really? I haven't noticed."

"A penny for your thoughts?"

Tidus sighed in defeat. He didn't want to whip the smile off of Yuna's face, but he knew that he had to talk to someone. "It's my father."

"About what about Sir Jecht bothers you so much?"

"It's not just one thing. It's a multiple of things. He's an arrogant, annoying, self-centered, and just so 'perfect' drunkard. Everything about him just makes me so mad. I still wonder to this day how my mother ever fell in love with that jerk."

"Did you ever ask her?" Tidus nodded at her question. "What did she say?"

"It's funny. You actually sound a lot like her. She said that he was so kind and so gentle. She would talk about him as if he were this perfect dream of a man. The very first time she talked about him like that made me hope that one day Jecht would turn into this man overnight, but he disappointed me again. But, despite everything he's put us through… my mom just kept the old version of him in her head until the day she died. Even till this day I wonder… if Jecht was really this great man." His voice trailed off, creating silence between the two teens.

"Well… Maybe you can ask him if we run into him." Yuna smiled with her hands behind her back.

"Whatdoya mean?"

"Well… remember when I told you that he was my father's guardian? Well, I know what happened to my father, but maybe we'll come meet him in Luca. He loves Blitzball, right? Well maybe he'll be there to see the tournament?"

Her smile was so comforting. It actually gave him hope. But then again, Yuna did have that effect on people. "Maybe you're right, Yuna."

"What would you do if you saw him again?"

"I'd probably punch him in the face. That's all the revenge I need to bury the hatches." Tidus smirked as he punched his left hand. "I'm sorry. Here I am going on and on about myself and my family."

"No. It's… quite alright. I don't mind. Forgive me, but I actually like it when we talk."

"Really?"

"It's nice… having someone to talk to like this. Sure talking to Lulu and Wakka and Kimahri is all well and good, but my whole life I've had people listening to me, because of who my father was. But it feels good being able to listen to someone for a change."

"Yuna, you've listened to me talk about my family and everything, but I have never heard you talk about your family." Yuna lowered her head at his comment. Realizing what he had done, Tidus immediately tried to take it back. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I don't need to hear it."

"No. It's alright. It doesn't bother me anymore. It's been over a decade. I think I can handle it." Yuna took a deep breath before telling her story. "I never knew my Mother. She died shortly after I was born. She was on her way to visit her family, but ended up dying during her run in with Sin. My father, after raising me for seven years, became a summoner and defeated Sin, along with Sir Jecht and Sir Auron. He died shortly after defeating it. That was ten years ago." Even though her tale was sad, Yuna managed to smile the whole time.

"Geez Yuna. I'm sorry about your father and everything." Tidus said softly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"It's alright. His death was easier to handle. I… was expecting it."

"What do you mean you were expecting it?"

Right when Yuna was about to answer, Sora and his gang came running towards them.

"I'm so excited about tomorrow!" Sora cheered.

"Yeah. Hey Yuna, have you ever been to Luca? What's it like?" Ke'Ania cheered.

"Well, it's just like a city filled with tall buildings and of course Spira's largest Blitzball stadium. It's also the second largest city in Spira, so you can imagine that there are a lot of space for all of its inhibiters and its visitors." Yuna described with a smile on her face.

"But wait! If there's going to be tons of people there, won't Sin show up?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, Wakka told us that Sin appears when large crowds of people start to gather." Goofy interjected.

"That is true but the Crusaders are the ones who keep Sin away from Luca. It's because of the stadium. Blitzball is the only entertainment we have in this world. Without that… then people start to lose hope, even with all of the summoners trying their hardest to defeat it. "The tone in Yuna's voice and the glimmer in her eyes turned sad at the mention of Spira's tormenter.

The air between the six thickened before Sora called out to Tidus. "Come on Tidus. Let's work on our moves for the tournament tomorrow."

"Alright," Tidus, Donald, and Goofy followed Sora to the other side of the ship and started practicing their kicks and passes, leaving the two girls standing in their spots.

"What's wrong with him?" Ke'Ania asked.

"He's conflicted… about his father, Sir Jecht. He says he hates his father, but I can sense sadness within his soul when he spoke of him." Yuna informed in a light, but understandable, mumble.

"I haven't had the pleasure of sensing that vibe totally from him. But it seems the same rules apply to Sora too. He says he hates his father too, but I think he's only disappointed in him." Ke'Ania sighed as she lazily crossed her arms.

"What are we going to do?" The summoner turned to her friend for advice.

"Someone wise once said that it's useless to try and force something out of someone. If you leave them be, then they'll come to tell you of their own free will. That's what I think we should do. If we wait long enough, they'll tell us eventually."

Yuna thought over what Ke'Ania said and nodded her head in agreement at the young princess's words. "That's very wise of you to say. Where did you hear that from?"

"I read it in a book once."

…

…

…

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways. Wakka stood at the top of the boat with Lulu. They seemed to be carrying their own conversation. Yuna and Kimahri sat at the back of the ship and enjoyed the warm nightly air. Donald and Goofy retired for the night inside the cabin. Ke'Ania stood on the right hand side of the ship, practicing her magic.

"Damnit," She cursed when her flame went out.

"Whatchya doing?" Sora asked as he approached her.

"Trying to perfect my fire powers." She answered as she tried to concentrate again. "Damnit."

"_**You**_ need to prefect your powers? That's like saying a fish needs to stop swimming. Ke'Ania, _**you**_ are one of the strongest girls I know. What do you need to practice for?" Sora asked as he stood in front of her.

In between Ke'Ania's hands was a increasing in size floating flame before it disappeared again. "Damnit!" Ke'Ania sighed and threw her head back before turning her frowned gaze onto Sora. "Sora, I am not as powerful as you think. My magic is only as powerful as yours without my Keyblades. Only the damage amount, effect, and strength of my attacks are increased while I use them. And even then my attacks are only increased by two levels. There's really no difference between our powers. Remember, you're still stronger than me strength wise."

"That's all? Then why does it look like you're far beyond my reach power and magic wise?"

"It's because I know a lot more techniques than you. You've only begun to discover the basics of your elemental powers. I've been studying them since I could practically walk. The same goes for Raven and Saedi. When we were younger, all we used to do was dabble in the art of magic manipulation. Where ever and whenever we could, we would practice until we were exhausted. If I had to guess, I'd say we're all pretty much on the same level." The green eyed girl said as she leaned against the ship's side.

"Really? Wait. You said that you, Raven and Saedi were pretty much on the same level, right? So that means that they can manipulate the elements like you can, right? How's that possible? Donald told me that you have to be on a certain level before anybody can learn certain spells." Sora asked. While Ke'Ania started explaining, Sora sat next to her and lean against the ship's side too.

"That is true, but that only applies to spells. When I use magic, I don't always use spells. I use the actual elements. You see Sora, when you learn to manipulate the elements like I can, then you can mold it and use it as a weapon. As long as you can do that, then it doesn't matter what level you are, you can use the elements any way you want. Take this flame for instance." Ke'Ania said as she summoned a little flame in her palm. "Unlike Donald, I didn't need to use a spell to summon this flame. This flame comes from my own powers. In a way it's a makeshift flame, if that helps. Now, say if I wanted to turn this into a fireball and use it against my enemies." Ke'Ania explained as she demonstrated by turning that flame into a fireball. "I wouldn't use a spell to control it. I would use my powers to control it. I can change its shape, size, strength, and destruction." Ke'Ania smiled at Sora's amazement before dismissing the flame completely. "All the while _**not**_ using a spell of any kind."

"So you mean to tell me that all this time you've been controlling the elements with your inner powers and _**not**_ using spells?" Ke'Ania nodded. "That's so cool."

"Yeah… I guess it is." Ke'Ania smiled as they fell into a comfortable silence.

Neither moved. They just allowed the sound of the boat slicing the water surround them. "Hey Ke'Ania?"

"Hmm?"

Sora bit his lip, almost too afraid to ask his question. "What happened at the Kilika Temple, when the flames made those black flames on your legs appear… How did you know that that would happen? Lulu said something about you not being human. Is that true?"

This time Ke'Ania was the one to bit her lip. She had to answer his question, didn't want to sound suspicious, but she couldn't tell him the whole truth. If she did, then Sora may never look at her the same. He might even leave her. And that's something she didn't want to have happen.

"I am… a lot different from most humans you've ever met." She answered. Sora nodded his head, knowing that that was all he was going to get from her. "As for knowing that that would happen... It's because it's happened before. When Raven, Saedi and I were practicing our elemental powers, we would always stick to one specific element. Mine is lightning. Saedi's is fire. Raven's is ice. Yes, we can use all of the elements, but those are our strongest. One day, when we got ready for school, Raven found this ancient book on how to further manipulate the elements. It was like the advanced version. That day, we stayed home from school to study the book. Inside, we found all kinds of techniques and abilities for us to use. So we studied the whole book in one day. It wasn't until we got to the end that we discovered this page on elemental transfer. That page taught us how to transfer all of our elemental powers into a kind of life force. Now don't get me wrong, it doesn't mean that if we run out of magic we'll die. It's kind of like a second life. If we run out of our elemental powers it just means that we're weakened to a dazed state, like how I was yesterday. We won't die until our hearts finally stop beating, just like regular humans. It just takes a lot out of us."

"I can tell." Sora laughed, causing her to laugh too.

"Anyway, the only way to heal us is by exposing us to a strong source of our top three elements: fire, ice, and lightning. If we're not close to our top element source then we'll have to either get close to our second or third elemental source. For me it's fire and ice. If Raven is by fire then her condition will worsen. If Saedi's by ice then her condition will worsen. It's not the same for me."

"Why isn't it the same for you?" Sora asked.

"Since my main element is lightning neither one of those two can harm me really. Think of it this way, lightning can create fire, so of course that would heal me. But, lighting can only _**crack**_ ice, _**not**_ damage it and because of that, ice doesn't really heal me like lightning or fire can."

"Ok… so what's up with the black flames on your legs?" Sora asked as he pointed toward her legs.

"When we performed the elemental transfer, black flames appeared on our bodies. They're kind of how we keep track of how much elemental magic we have left in us at the time. Mine will always appear on my legs. Saedi's are on her arms. Raven has them running down the left side of her neck, across her body, and running down her right leg. Each of us has the same elemental span length. Raven's only looks longer because hers is going across her body." Ke'Ania explained and she fingered each her body in demonstration.

"Then, how come yours never appears whenever you lose some of your elemental powers?"

"They will only appear when we take a big hit at one time or engage in a life or death situations, like when I was fighting Lord Ochu or a strong enemy. The reason why they won't always appear is because at the end of the day I can heal myself and rest up. But, if we're in the middle of the battle and there's no chance of me healing myself or resting up, then that's when they'll appear. They'll only go away when we're fully charged."

"And when will that happen?"

"When we're exposed to our main element. All of the energy I received from the Kilika Temple is how much I have to survive on until we reach the Djose temple. I only have half of my elemental magic and only my fire magic is the strongest I have right now, but it's better than nothing."

"It must be tough dealing with this stuff, huh?"

"You have no idea, Sora. No idea." Ke'Ania sighed in defeat.

Silence fell over them again, except this time it was awkward. Ke'Ania was trapped deep in thought before Sora snapped her out of it. "You know something else I noticed when those black flames appeared on your legs?" It was rhetorical, but Ke'Ania raised an eyebrow to let him know that she was listening. "Your big toe is bigger than your other toes on both your feet."

"You saw that?" Sora nodded. "Well, that's not all that's defected about me. My pinkies are both crooked, if I put them together I can make the top of a triangle. When I was born, I had a red dot on my forehead. The doctors called it a strawberry I guess. Ironically, they're my favorite fruit." She laughed as she showed Sora her pinkies and pointed to her forehead. "So I guess you now know how much of a human I am, huh?"

"Yeah, it's funny actually." Sora smiled at her.

"How so?"

"Well, this whole time Riku, Kairi, and I kept thinking that you were this perfect being that came from out of nowhere. You know, like one of those all powerful characters that nobody likes, except we liked you."

"Gee, thanks Sora." Ke'Ania rolled her green eyes.

"But, after seeing and hearing all of this… I now know that you aren't this perfect person, but just an average teenage girl who's forced to face an all powerful enemy."

"You make it sound like I'm alone in this." Ke'Ania stood up without looking at Sora. "I have you, Donald, and Goofy. I also have Raven, Saedi, Kairi and Riku, wherever they are. But, most importantly, I have all of my friends' spirits with me. As long as I know that I have you guys with me, then I can take on anything. I don't need my magic or powers. I'll fight Maleficent with my bare hands if I have to. I might lose, but I'd rather fight and lose than just give up easily. I may not be the fastest, strongest, or best fighter out there, but I can get the job done… with a little help from you guys of course." With a smile on her face, Ke'Ania turned to Sora and offered her hand to him.

"You really mean that, Ke'Ania?" Sora asked as he took her hand and stood up.

"Of course I do. I think that if I didn't have you guys, I might not have survived. I have problems with being alone in dangerous situations, but I need to get over that. I know that you're not always going to be there to help me. I have to get stronger so that I don't have to depend on you as much. You have enough to deal with without worrying about me all the time."

"You don't hear me complaining."

"True, but I have to be a big girl and learn to walk on my own two legs. You may not see it, but I do depend on you a lot. I have to stop that. What kind of princess would I be if I couldn't protect the people who are willing to jump into danger head first for me."

"If what you're saying is true, then what would you have done if we never ran into each other in Deep Jungle?"

"Probably cry. I may put on a hard front, but under that is a scared little girl who needs someone to hold her hand. I can't tell you how many times I cried before I finally found you. But of someone would've asked me how I would handle doing this job on my own… I wouldn't know what to say except that I couldn't do it. You may not be able to tell, but even now I'm scared. I keep thinking that something's going to pop out and get us. I'm sorry you had to hear me destroy this image you have of me."

"It's ok. It actually makes me feel better."

"Really?"

"Yeah. This whole time, I've been trying to get stronger and show you just how tough I am. Riku did the same too. We thought that if we weren't strong enough to impress you, then you might find us inferior and useless. And there's nothing worse than being called inferior and useless. Believe me."

"Damn Sora. You're making me sound like this awfully mean person. I would never think that any of you were inferior or useless, because I know what it's like when people call you that or think that way of you." Ke'Ania whispered the last part, but Sora was still able to hear it. "I think of you all as my equal, or perhaps even stronger than me. Even Kairi is my equal, but I think that if she had learned how to fight, she might be even better than me."

"That's very big of you, Ke'Ania."

Ke'Ania nodded at his comment. A pregnant silence made itself known by the chatter if the passengers. Both teens blushed and Ke'Ania's eye turned pink when they realized that their fingers were laced together and that they were still holding hands. They slowly pulled apart, starting to miss the warmth and coolness comparison of their skin.

"Ke'Ania?"

"Hm?"

"You said that no matter what level of magic you are, you can learn how to manipulate the elements and use them as weapons, right?" Ke'Ania nodded. "Well I was wondering… could you teach me how to do that? I would like to know how to use magic like that. You were right when you said that we aren't going to always have each other to fight with. And plus, what if I wind up alone in world like the Hundred Acer Woods and can't defend myself with magic or my Keyblade. I need to know how to protect myself with my hands, Keyblades, and magic. What good am I if I get myself killed because I couldn't protect myself?"

Ke'Ania was taken aback by his request. No one, not even Raven or Saedi wanted Ke'Ania to teach them anything. Usually, she would be the last one to figure out the problem, but when she was the first one to figure it out Raven and Saedi would want to figure it out for themselves. It actually felt good knowing that someone needed her for something.

"Alright, Sora. I'll help you, but not tonight. I'm bushed."

"Yeah. Me too."

…

…

…

At the front of the ship, Tidus stood with his hands on his hips, a blitzball under his right foot, and his brows frowned in concentration. Judging from his face any outsider would've thought that whatever he was thinking was something serious.

In the deep dark places of his mind, memories of his father started to play. The one he was forced to watch now was the one where Jecht told him that he couldn't do the Jecht Shot. Phrases like 'I'm the best' and 'You're out of your league" were echoing in his brain.

Anger started to build in him. He'd show his father that he was the better man. He'd prove to his father that he wasn't a failure. He'd show Jecht that he was the better man.

"_I'll show you old man. I'm better than you. I can do your move better than you ever could. All I have to do is breathe and focus."_

Tidus took slow, deep, and calming breaths before readying himself. He quickly kicked the ball with this left foot. When it came back, he used his right foot to knock it into the air before jumping up and head butting it. Tidus punched the ball once it came back again. Tidus was in the zone. He glared at the ball when it collided with the stairs for the final time. His vision never left the ball as he saw it came back towards him. Tidus jumped into the air and spun around rapidly before he started to slow down. Right when he looked like he was about to stop, his foot shoot out and kicked the ball away from the boat and sent it speeding across the ocean. As Tidus leaned he watched in amazement as the ball disappeared in the distance.

"You say you're the best? Well it looks like I've just knocked you off your throne." Tidus cheered. Little did he know that he had an audience standing behind him. He jumped and landed on his butt when he saw all of the passengers staring at him. He gripped at his chest to calm his rapidly beating heart. "Can you guys at least warn a guy before you sneak up on him like that."

"Sorry brudda, but we didn't want to mess you up." Wakka laughed.

"Do you know what you just did?" Ke'Ania jumped before running to the edge of the ship, gripping the rope, and trying to look for the blitzball. "You just sent that ball flying into next week. What kind of move was that?"

"It's called a Jecht Shot." Yuna answered. She smiled at him when she extended her hand to help him up.

"Yeah it is. How did you know that?" Tidus grunted as he stood up and released her hand with pink cheeks.

"Sir Jecht used to show it to me when I first met him. He told me that he was the only one who could do it. I guess he was wrong."

"Yeah. I guess so." Tidus nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Well I hope that you use it tomorrow. It'll be cool to surprise the other team with that." Sora cheered.

"_**It wouldn't be a surprise since we saw it, ya know."**_ Bickson smirked as he and the Luca Goers stood in the back of the crowd.

"You thinkin of takin his move? That's low. I thought that you almighty Luca Goers were unbeatable. Why would you want to steal a move from the worse team in the league?" Wakka glared as he squared up with Bickson.

"Please. Don't think yourselves a challenge because one of your rookies learned a new trick. And by the way, we don't _**steal**_ other people's techniques. We're too good for that. No, we just assess our opponents and learn their moves and their weaknesses so that we can deflect them." Their leader explained with a smirk.

"That's unfair!" Donald yelled and jumped around.

"You are mistaken, Duck. It's called strategy." One of the Goers smirked as he stood next to his captain.

"No, it's called cheating, bastards." Ke'Ania growled with red eyes as she stood next to Wakka and Donald with her arms crossed.

"It doesn't matter what _**you**_ people call it. All that matters is that you're not going to win tomorrow." Bickson grinned before turning away and waving at them. "Good-bye Besaid Aurochs and good luck… You're going to need it."

"_**I hate them."**_ Tidus sneered as he watched the team laugh as they walked away.

"They're just plain rude." Yuna agreed.

"So now what are you guys going to do now? They've seen your special move. There's no doubt that they'll figure out a way to stop it." Lulu said.

"Don't worry. We'll figure out a new move. One that they'll never see coming." Sora smiled with his hand on Tidus's shoulder.

"Thanks guys."

…

…

…

For the next three hours, Tidus, Sora, and Wakka were working on their ultimate move that will help them win the tournament.

"I think we've got it guys." Wakka smiled at his two teammates.

"Think they'll be able to stop us now?" Sora asked with his hands on his knees.

"No way. They think that they know how to stop us. Well tomorrow they'll be in for a rude awakening." Tidus cheered.

"Thanks for this guys. I really appreciate this." Wakka continued to smile.

"No problem. Tomorrow… that trophy is as good as ours." Tidus smiled back.

"You guys finished yet?" Ke'Ania asked as she came up from the lower level of the ship.

"Yep. We've got a new move that will knock their socks off." Sora cheered.

"That's great, but now it's midnight. Shouldn't you be getting some sleep? Tomorrow afternoon is the big game."

"It's midnight already? Dang! Where did the time go." Tidus laughed.

"Alright guys, time for bed. Tomorrow I'll let you experience what's it like being in the Sphere Pool before actually participating in the tournament." Wakka said as they went to the lower level.

"They you guys are. We were worried you guys worked yourselves too hard up there and passed out." Goofy laughed.

"Naw we're fine, but tired as hell." Tidus yawned.

As the boys shared comments and laughs back and forth, Ke'Ania's sensitive ears picked up a chirping noise._ "What is that noise?"_ She turned her head to see a room labeled 'The Power Room'. _"In here?"_

She walked away from the group until she stood in front. She slowly push opened the door and gasped at what she saw. She ran out of the room and slammed the door while panting.

"What's wrong, Ke'Ania?" Sora asked in concern.

"In there… giant… yellow… chicken birds… long legs…" She panted out.

"What?" the boy asked in confusion.

"I don't know what they're called. All I know is that they're big and yellow and look like chickens with long legs."

"Oh~. I think I know what you're talking about." Wakka laughed as he walked into the Power Room. Everyone followed after him. Ke'Ania stood behind Sora for protection. "Are this what you're talking about?"

Ke'Ania nodded. "Don't get too close. They look like they can attack at any moment."

"Wakka? What the hell are those?" Sora nervously asked.

"There are called Chocobos. We use them to power the ship. They're completely harmless." Wakka laughed. Everyone calmed down after that and cautiously stepped closer and observed them. They didn't attack, they just ran on the circular treadmill. It was almost as if they were trained nothing else, but run. "See. These are domesticated Chocobos. They've been trained to not harm us, but even if they weren't, they still wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I can't believe that I got so worked up over these birds. Actually, now that I look at them, they actually look cute." Ke'Ania confessed.

"It's ok. Most people are startled by them when they first see them. They are pretty big birds, but nothing to fear." Wakka assured. "Now come on, time for bed."

…

…

…

That night, when everyone was sound asleep, Tidus kept tossing and turning. Tired of forcing himself to sleep, Tidus sat up and looked out of the window.

"Is something the matter?" Yuna asked in a soft voice from her bed across from him.

"What are you doing up?" He asked, turning to face her.

"I heard you tossing and turning."

He blushed before turning away. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok. I couldn't sleep either." She shook her head before sitting up. "So what's wrong?"

"I was just wondering… Is Luca a safe place?"

"It's one of the safest places to be. The Crusaders try to protect it with everything they have." Yuna explained before allowing a worried expression to cross her face. "Why would you ask?"

"I don't know. It's just that I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. At first I thought that it was because of me being nervous, but that's not it."

"Could be that you're worried about running into Sir Jecht at the tournament?"

"I don't think so. He's probably not even going to show up. My father never did like watching other people play. No, it's bigger than that. I just don't know what it could be yet." He mumbled loud enough for Yuna to hear.

"Well whatever it is, it's probably nothing. You're probably still tense from earlier. I bet a good night sleep will clear your mind and make you feel better. After all you have to be in top condition to win tomorrow." Yuna smiled.

"You really think that we'll win?"

"Of course I do. After all, who could beat the captain of the Zanarkand Abes, right?"

"You… believe that I'm from Zanarkand?" He asked with surprise in his voice.

"Well, I will admit that I had a hard time believing Sir Jecht when he told me, but after meeting you… there's no doubt in my mind."

"Thank Yuna. At least someone believes me."

"I may believe you, but you still shouldn't go around saying things like that. You could get in trouble and I may not always be able to help you." The brunette summoner warned.

"Yeah… I know…"

Silence stretched over them. As the silence continued, Tidus finally decided to lie down and try to get some sleep. "Hey Tidus?"

"Yeah…"

"When we find you a way to get back home… do you think I could go with you?"

His eyes widen at what she asked. It's not every day a girl asks you to come home with you. Had they been in Zanarkand, Tidus would've said 'yes' in a heartbeat. But when he wasn't so sure of himself he hesitated.

"Maybe you can, Yuan. Just maybe."

…

…

…

It was around ten o'clock in the morning when Luca came into view. Everyone was wide awake and marveling at the beauty of the large city. Only Ke'Ania remained asleep.

"**WAKE UP KE'ANIA! WAKE UP!"** She heard Donald, Goofy, and Sora shout.

"Leave me alone." The long haired girl grumbled before turning over and pulling the covers over her eyes.

"But Ke'Ania you have to look. We're finally at Luca and the city is huge!" Goofy cheered.

Ke'Ania debated on rather to wake up or sleep a little bit more. Knowing that they wouldn't leave her alone until she did, Ke'Ania rolled out of bed with strands of hair sticking out everywhere. Her hair looked like Sora's if his was down to his butt. Using her fingers and claws, Ke'Ania was able to work out the knots and smooth down her hair as she made her way to the upper level of the ship. Whatever tiredness or grumpiness she had disappeared as she gazed out at the city in amazement.

"This is Luca?" She asked as she came to stand in front of the railing.

"Yep. That's Luca. Come on. We're about to dock." Wakka called. Everyone made their way to the side of the ship and waited for the ship to pull into port.

"**WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE ANNUAL BLITZBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP! AS ALWAYS, THIS TOURNAMENT IS SPONSORED BY YEVON FOLKS!"** The announcer yelled over the intercom. As the group of nine waited to exit off of the boat, the announcer called out the teams. **"IN DOCK #2 WE HAVE THE KILIKA BEASTS! THEIR HOME WAS JUST ATTACKED BY SIN, SO THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT THEY'LL BE WANTING TO BRING HOME THE CUP THIS YEAR!"**

"**THAT'S RIGHT BUBBA! BEST OF WISHES TO THEM AND MAY YEVON BLESS THEM ON THIS DAY!"**

"**POWERFUL WORDS JIMMA! THE NEXT TEAM OFF OF THAT SHIP IS THE BESAID AUROCHS!" **Bubba announced.

"**LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE BACK TO TRY AND SEE IF THEY CAN GET PAST THE FIRST ROUND!" **From what they could hear, it sounded like Jimma was laughing at them. **"THEY ARE REALLY A DETERMINED TEAM! IT'S BEEN 23 YEARS SINCE THEY EVEN GOT PASSED THE FIRST ROUND! FROM WHAT I CAN SEE THERE ARE A FEW LOYAL FANS OUT THERE TODAY BUBBA. WELL, THAT SAD FACT ASIDE, WE WISH THEM THE BEST OF LUCK AND A SAFE, EMPTIED HANDED, TRIP BACK TO BESIDE THIS AFTERNOON!"**

"**RIGHT JIMMA! NOW FOLKS, LET'S GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE LEAGUE! THE LUCA GOERS! YES THAT'S RIGHT BUBBA, OUR HOME TEAM AND MOST BELOVED PLAYERS ARE BACK HOME FOLKS!"**

"**WHEN EVERYONE IN LUCA HEARD ABOUT THE TRAGEDY IN KILIKA, THEY IMMEDIATELY JUMPED ON THE NEXT BOAT TO HELP THEM OUT! THEY'RE EVERYTHING WE COULD EVER ASK FOR IN A TEAM! I'M PRETTY SURE EVERYONE IS EXCITED TO SEE WHAT MOVES THIS TEAM IS GOING TO USE TO TAKE THE CUP THIS YEAR!"** Jimma practically yelled over the intercom, making Ke'Ania winch from the high frequency.

"You ok, Ke'Ania?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah. It's just that high frequencies and high pitched noises bother me because of my sensitive hearing. I'll be fine once they stop talking." Ke'Ania explained while holding her pointy ears. The girls glared at the Luca Goers as they ran off the dock and greeted the giant crowed of their fans. "Tsk. I bet they wouldn't have this many friends if they really got to know the jerks." The caramel skinned girl sneered through gritted teeth and red eyes.

"**THAT'S RIGHT JIMMA! OH HOLD ON FOR A MINUTE~ ! WELL FOLKS, I JUST GOT WORD SAYING THAT ALL OF THE COMPETING TEAMS HAVE ARRIVED ALREADY! IF ANY CAPTAIN WANTS TO SIGN UP TO USE THE SPHERE POOL FOR ONE FINAL PRACTICE, THE SIGN UP SHEETS ARE AT THE CHECK-IN DESK IN FRONT OF THE STADIUM! THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE A GOOD YEAR FOLKS!"**

Wakka, Lulu, Yuna, Kimahri, Tidus, Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy, and Sora all stood in the shadows of the crates as they listened to the praise the Goers were getting. Tidus kicked the ground beneath his feet in frustration. This scene looked a little too familiar. This scene reminded Tidus of all the praise and fans Jecht had since Tidus was born. Even when Tidus was climbing through the ranks as a Blitzball player, most of the praise he received was because of his father's fans.

The same goes for Sora. When they were school, on the island, where ever they went, Riku would get praised for just breathing. Sora knew that he wasn't the best looking boy in his world, he would even go as far to say that Riku was way better looking than him, but that didn't stop him from disapproving of all the attention his best friend was receiving.

"I bet they're not even that great." Sora huffed under his breath as he crossed his arms and glared at the stone ground.

"They're the best team in the league. So, it would only seem right that they receive this much, if not more, fans and praise." Letty sighed in depression.

Wakka could sense the anger and frustration radiating off of his two new players. To try and consol them, Wakka placed his hands on their shoulders. "Hey, it's alright you two. Don't let it bother you too much. It's like this every year, ya. We've learned to deal with it."

The two boys could sense the sadness in their captain's voice. They caught each others' gaze, having a silent conversation, before turning away from each other. They rushed away from Wakka's semi-comforting touch, grabbed a mega-phone, and climbed on top of the tall crates. They smirked as they towered over their opponents and their fans.

"**HEY GOERS!" **Tidus shouted, effectively catching everyone's attention. Ke'Ania face palmed her face when she saw the boy she loves getting ready to make a fool of himself. Despite herself, a small smile made its way onto her lips as she stared at him. Sora may not have been the smartest person she knew, but at least he wasn't afraid to express himself openly. She turned to observe Yuna and could tell that her summoner friend was thinking the same thing. **"YOU THINK YOU'RE SO HIGH AND MIGHTY NOW~!"**

Sora reached over and took the mage-phone. **"BUT US AUROCHS WILL BE THE ONES KNOCKING YOU OFF YOUR THRONE THIS YEAR!"**

"**SO YOU BETTER GET READY, GOERS!" **Tidus smirked.

"**BECAUSE YOU'LL BE THE ONES CRYING WHILE WE'RE SHINING THAT TROPHY IN THE MIDDLE OF BESAID VILLAGE!" **Sora smirked.

Both boys laughed at their opponents. "Is that what you think is going to happen, boys?" Bickson smirked as he approached the crate Tidus and Sora were standing on.

"**THAT'S WHAT WE KNOW WILL HAPPEN, BICKSON!" **Tidus yelled in the Goers' captain's face.

"Well, we'll see about that. But remember boys… you and your team must get past the first round before trying to challenge us." The redhead captain smirked as his team and their fans walked away from the dock.

"I hate them. No matter what we say, we just can't get under their skin." Tidus sneered.

"I think you might have rattled them a little." Letty said.

"Yeah. Usually he doesn't even respond when we try to challenge them." Datto said.

"I think that getting under the Goers' skin is the last thing you need to be worrying about." Jassu added.

"Why you say that?" Sora asked as Tidus and he hopped off the crates.

"We were on the sphere. I'm pretty sure all of Luca is probably laughing at us." Botta sighed in depression.

"Hey. Stop being negative you two. At least we finally got someone defending us for once." Keepa scolded.

"That's right. Now come on. Grand Maester Mika has arrived and is in Dock 3. We have to go and pay our respects." Yuna smiled.

"Who's he?" Tidus asked with his hands on his hip.

"Grand Maester Mika is the leader of everyone in Spira. He's traveled all the way from Bevelle because this tournament is being held to honor his 50th year as a Maester." Lulu explained as they made their way to Dock 3.

"He's been a Maester for 50 years? Don't you think that it's time for him to retire or something?" Sora snickered before Wakka hit him in the back of his head. "Ow."

"Watch your mouth brat. Didn't anybody teach you to respect your elders." Wakka scolded.

When they arrived at the dock, there were people there already. The dock was practically packed with people from all over Luca. Sora, Ke'Ania, Donald, and Tidus struggled to try and see over the crowd. They managed to push past a few people. They got close enough to hear the music and see people exiting the boat. Standing on the boat, a man with blue hair pulled into two horned-like ponytails reaching his butt, one spiked bang in front of his face and two black dragon tattoos on his chest. Ke'Ania could smell the human on him, but she thought that he looked weird for a human.

"That's Maester Seymour, right?" A man whispered.

"Yeah. I think so." Another man answered.

Whispers of this weird man were silenced when said man turn around and did the prayer. Everyone followed suit as a very old and wrinkled hunched man strolled off the boat and onto the dock.

"Raise everyone." The old man commanded in an elderly voice. He waited for everyone to rise before continuing. "I thank you for your gracious welcome for me. But I would hope that all of you will give the same generous welcome to Maester Seymour, the son of our deceased Maester Jyscal Guado." The elder Maester introduced.

"I am honored to receive the title of Maester. Before his untimely passing, my father worked to bring the Guado and humans together. During my time as Maester, I will continue his legacy."

As quickly as it started, the welcoming ceremony was over as Maester Mika and his entourage left the dock. Ke'Ania moved to stand next to Yuna, feeling suddenly protective of her summoner friend. She saw as Yuna's eyes widen for a second when Seymour and her eyes met. It was as if Ke'Ania could sense something coming from the blue haired man. She didn't completely shrug it off, but mostly she just chalked it up to the other scent she smelled coming from him. Ke'Ania and Yuna's gaze never left Seymour as he disappeared from their sights. Both girls were too deep in thought to notice that their crushes were staring at them with worried expressions.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I feel hyped up. Come on. We still have to check-in and sign up for a spot to use the Sphere Pool." Wakka said as he led the group away.

Ke'Ania and Yuna lingered a little bit longer before finally following the group. Being at the back of the group gave the girls the opportunity to whisper to each other.

"Ke'Ania… did you feel that too?"

"… Yeah… There's definitely something not right about him. I intend to find out what it is." The long haired teen whispered back.

"You don't think that…"

Yuna didn't need to finish her sentence for Ke'Ania to understand what she meant. Her brown eyes continued to glare at the stone floor beneath her feet. "I don't know, Yuna. But my instincts are telling me to keep a close eye on him. He might be trouble in the future."

…

…

…

Everyone waited for Wakka to return from the match up draws in the Aurochs' locker room.

"Alright guys what's the matter?" Ke'Ania sighed as she stood in front of the Aurochs with her arms crossed. "I can sense the tension and nervousness coming from you guys and it's making me on edge. So tell me… what's eating at you guys?"

"We're just worried about who we have to play for the first round. For the past 23 years, we've had to play the Luca Goers. It's just not fair." Letty grabbed his head in frustration.

"They always put the best team against us in the first round." Keepa grunted as he did the same thing.

"Well… it doesn't really matter _**who**_ we play… we'll most likely lose to them too." Botta sighed in defeat.

"Wow… their team spirit is really down." Tidus whispered as Ke'Ania nodded.

Everyone turned their heads when Wakka walked into the room with a smirk on his face. "Alright team listen up because I have great news. The first team we're playing is the Al Bhed Psyches. If we win, we're in the finals." Wakka's smirk turned into a wide grin as everyone smiled. "That's right everyone, we've been seated. All we have to do is win twice and we'll be able to bring home that trophy!" Wakka cheered along with the rest of the team. "Alright guys it's our turn to use the Sphere Pool."

They walked to the giant Sphere Pool and marveled in its beauty. "Holy crap! That's one big pool!" Sora shouted.

"This is the only sphere pool in all of Spira. This is what we'll be playing in. Come on guys." Wakka said.

"Wait. Here let me use my water element to help you guys breath underwater." Ke'Ania said.

"We can't let you do that. That's considered cheating." Wakka said.

"I know, but since Sora doesn't know how to play the game, won't it be easier for you to at least _**talk**_ to him this time around so that he doesn't go into the first game blind." Ke'Ania explained before using her water element to help them breath underwater. "There, now make sure pay attention to Wakka, Sora." Ke'Ania smirked with on hand on her hip.

"Yes Mom." Sora smiled back at her.

…

…

…

"Ugh… I think I still have water in my ears." Sora complained as he tried to get the excess water out of his ears.

"You'll get used to it." Wakka laughed as he patted Sora's back heavily. "I'm very proud of you Sora. You actually grasped the rules and basics of the game quite quickly. I think you're ready for your first real game."

"I don't know. I think I'm still a little confused on some parts." Sora confessed

"Don't worry, I'll help you." Wakka smiled as he led Sora to the benches and helped Sora understand the game some more.

Tidus moved to sit on the other side of the benches and sat down. He started to yawn. "Tired?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah, just a little bit." The dirty blond laughed sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.

Everyone turned their heads when Yuna and Kimahri walked in. "Guess what I found out, Tidus?" Yuna excitedly said. "Someone said they saw Sir Auron in one of the cafés today."

"Auron is here?" Yuna nodded at his question. "We have to find him. There are some questions I need to ask him."

"Then let's go." Yuna cheered.

"Well, I guess that this would be a perfect time for us to search Luca. I can sense the Darkness close by. I want to find out where it's coming from." Ke'Ania said as she turned to her team.

"Whoa! What are you doing? The game is starting soon. We need you here." Wakka said.

"I have to find Auron. This is too important for me to miss out on." Tidus explained. "Don't worry, I'll be back before the game starts."

"Sora, why don't you stay here. Yuna will have Tidus and Kimahri protecting her, and Donald and Goofy will be with me." Ke'Ania suggested.

"Are you sure?" Sora questioned.

"Don't worry. If anything happens we'll handle it. Besides, Wakka needs you more. You can use this to earn experience for when you beat those bullies." Sora was hesitant, but he eventually nodded in understanding. "You better win, Sora. I'll be cheering you on." The long haired girl threw a smile over her should at Sora before exiting the locker room with Donald and Goofy.

…

…

…

"_**So… You have located Ke'Ania the princess, have you now?" **_A sinister voice said with hints of a smirk on its owner's face.

"Yes, My Lady. Ke'Ania has masked her presence and powers quite well, but the ignorant princess's aura is leaking all over Spira. It was hard to pinpoint it, but once I found where it was coming from the strongest there was no doubt in my mind who it was." The villain smirked.

"_**Excellent work. I expect you to have the princess and Ke'Ania within your custody when you return to Headquarters… soon I hope."**_

"Do not worry yourself Master. I shall deliver them to you soon. I mean how strong can these two princesses be?"

"_**Do NOT underestimate them! Ke'Ania and her group have defeated many of our allies time and time again, but I don't know how strong this new princess is. I don't want you to deliver them to me just yet. Test them for a while and when you think that they're powerful enough, you are ordered to bring them to me immediately. Understood?"**_

"Yes, My Lady Maleficent." Maleficent nodded before her minion closed the sphere he used to communicate with her. Suddenly a fish-like fiend and a Shadow appeared besides him. "Has the princesses been separated?" The fiend and the Shadow nodded. "Good now go put the plan into action." The villain's two minions nodded again before disappearing. "Let's see how those two handle them." The villain laughed before waiting for one of the princesses to arrive.

…

…

…

"Have you found out who the villain is, Ke'Ania?" Goofy asked.

"I think so, but I'm not entirely sure. The only thing I'm sure of is that they're here." Ke'Ania answered.

"Well, can we at least get a hint?" Donald asked when he stopped walking.

"You mean you didn't sense any Darkness today?" Ke'Ania questioned a she turned to look at Donald. She had to bring her hand up to tuck her hair behind her ears so that the sea-salty air won't blow it into her mouth.

"No. I mean I sensed a little bit, but our senses are too weak." Donald explained. "So… who is it?" Ke'Ania continued to think for a minute before opening her mouth to answer them. But when she was about to say something, a Heartless went running by. "It's a Heartless!"

"Come on Ke'Ania. Let's follow it!" Goofy yelled. Ke'Ania summoned her Keyblades before running after them. They followed it until Ke'Ania lost them in the sea of people.

She tried to look for them, but couldn't find them. By the time she stopped to plan out her next plan, Ke'Ania found herself standing on Dock 3. She dismissed her Keyblades before cautiously strolling onto said dock.

"_**What are you doing here?"**_ A calm voice called to her.

Ke'Ania spun around to see Maester Seymour standing a few feet away from her. "I was just looking for someone."

"Oh really? Maybe I can help?" The Seymour offered as he stretched his hand out to her.

"No thank you. I can find them on my own." She mumbled before turning her head away from him. "But thanks anyway…"

"I can sense great power coming from you. Tell me… are you not of this world?" The blue haired Maester asked with a smirk.

"No comment." Ke'Ania just simply said before starting to walk toward him.

"So you're not going to tell me?"

"You got it." Ke'Ania said in annoyance as she kept walking.

"What a pity." Seymour said in a fake hurt voice before turning his gaze on the still walking princess. "But that's ok because~" Right when Ke'Ania was about to pass him, Seymour grabbed her arm and pulled her closer so that he could whisper in her ear. She could barely focus on anything else after he touched her. It felt as though lighting were surging through her body form this contact. _**"I know your secret…**_" He whispered.

"W-what?" She tried to gasped, but when she turned around he was gone and so was the pain.

Even though both were gone, Ke'Ania could still hear and feel him on her. It was creepy and frightening, especially the words he whispered. After Ke'Ania regained her composer, Tidus, Kimahri, and Lulu came running towards up.

"What's up?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Yuna's been kidnapped by the Al Bhed Psyches. They said that they'll let her go if we Aurochs throw the game." Tidus explained.

"I hope Wakka didn't give in to that bull." Ke'Ania with her arms crossed.

"When we told Wakka and Sora they said that they'll handle the game while we go and rescue her." Lulu explained.

"What about Goofy and Donald?"

"We met them on the way here. They said that they'll go to the game and make sure that nothing else happens." Lulu said.

"Well, if that's settled then let's go." Ke'Ania said before they started to run. "Just how dangerous _**are**_ these people?"

"If they're only Blitzball players then we have nothing to worry about, but we shouldn't chance it. This way, I know a shortcut." Lulu said.

They ran passed the check-in desk, but was cut off when they reached Dock 5. "What the hell?" Ke'Ania cursed.

"The Al Bheds must've done this." Lulu said calmly. "We may have to take the long way around."

"Damnit!" Tidus cursed as he kicked the ground.

"Why can't I just use my wind element to blow this out of our way?" Ke'Ania asked.

"We can't let them know that we're coming. Come on. We're wasting time." Lulu said before the four of them started running again.

When they reached Dock 1, they encountered 8 weird machines. "What the hell are those?" Tidus asked as he drew his sword.

"Ancient machina the Al Bhed savaged." Lulu explained as she gripped her doll.

"Ok… So how do we defeat them?" Tidus asked.

"They're very vulnerable to lightning magic and elements." Lulu said.

"Ok… So you and Ke'Ania can defeat them, but what about Kimahri and me?"

"Don't worry Tidus, I got ya covered." Ke'Ania smirked before trying to add her lightning element to their weapons. But when she tried, nothing happened. "Damn. I forgot that I can't use my lightning magic until I get a recharge from the Djose Temple. Lulu, you're going to have to add your lightning magic to our weapons."

"I don't know how to do that yet."

"It's time you learned. Just focus your lightning element on our weapons. Make sure to add just enough so that you don't shock us. If it helps, try pretending that our weapons are just like fiends." Ke'Ania advised. Lulu nodded before focusing. She flicked her wrist and did as Ke'Ania told her to do. To her surprise it actually worked. "Not bad for your first time, but it is a little weak. Don't worry, we'll do some more work on it." Ke'Ania smiled as the mage nodded.

The team of four went to work and attacked their enemies. With his speed, Tidus was able to slice two machina as he zoomed right by them. They didn't know what hit them. Kimahri rushed at his two and with one thrust he was able to run his sphere through the machina before watching the lightning surrounding his blade short circuit them. Ke'Ania ran at the two machina in front of her before slicing them in multiple places with both of Keyblades. Lulu held her ground as the remained two rushed at her. When they got close enough, the raven haired Black Mage slammed her hands on the ground and guided her lightning magic to her opponents. When it finally reached, the two machina instantly fell apart after having their circuits fried.

"Shall we continue?"

…

…

…

The group continued run, but had to stop at every dock because more machina kept showing up.

"How many of these things are there?" Tidus panted out after slicing the last three machina.

"Those were hopefully the last ones. I wonder how Wakka, Sora, and the Aurochs are doing?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Let's look on the monitor." Lulu suggested.

"But what about Yuna?" Tidus asked.

"We'll get there. But first, I'm curious as to how Wakka and the others are doing." Lulu said as everyone looked onto the screen.

One the screen and in the Sphere Pool, Wakka had just gotten the ball.

"**THE SCORE IS TIED 2 – 2, FOLKS! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH DEFENSE THE AUROCHS ARE PUTTING UP THIS TIME! THIS MAYBE THE BEST GAME THE AUROCHS HAVE GIVEN YET!"** Bubba announces with excitement.

Right after Bubba finished that broadcast, Wakka was getting ready to throw the ball to Sora before three Al Bheds rushed them. One knocked Wakka and Sora around while the third man stole the ball. Lucky for the Aurochs, one of their team members stole the ball back.

"Sora! Wakka!" Ke'Ania shouted when she saw one of the Psyches hit her crush. Before she knew it, her eyes turned blood red, her fists were clenched tightly around her weapons' handles, and her fangs started to grind against themselves.

"**OHHHH! THOSE TWO ARE GOING TO BE IN PAIN AFTER THAT ONE! SORA, THE AUROCHS' NEW PLAYER IS TAKING SOME DAMAGE, BUT IT'S WAKKA THAT'S TAKING A REALLY BEATING OUT THERE TODAY! THE WORSE PART S THAT THE REF ISN'T CALLING THE FOUL! I HOPE THAT THEY CAN HANG IN THERE FOR FIVE MORE MINUTES BECAUSE IT'S HALFTIME FOLKS! I WONDER IF THE AUROCHS WILL LOSE OR WILL THEY PULL A WIN OUT OF THERE BUTTS? STAY TUNE TO FIGURE IT OUT!"** Jimma cheered.

"Well, at least they're still in the game." Tidus said.

"Yes, but they might not last. Sora seems to be doing fine, but Wakka won't last long. He's always been that way. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside." Lulu said.

"They'll be fine. Since its half time, Donald will be able to heal them before they go back out there. But we have to hurry. I don't like seeing my friends hurt." Ke'Ania practically growled before taking off for Dock 4.

…

…

…

When they arrived at Dock 4, they were ambushed by at least 20 machina. "So much for the element of surprise," Ke'Ania groaned.

"So what do we do now?" Tidus asked.

"We fight. Yuan is on that ship that's getting ready to take off. We need to hurry. Only disable the ones in front of you. We don't have time to deal with them all." Lulu commanded.

They readied their weapons before rushing out. Lulu slammed her hands on the ground and cleared the first five out of their way. Since Tidus and Ke'Ania were the fastest out of the four, they took down the ones in the front. Since Kimahri was the strongest, he protected them from the ones that tried to sneak up on them. There were about five left when they finally reached the railing to the Al Bheds' ship. When they came to the end of the railing, they jumped off and landed gracefully onto the Al Bheds' metal ship.

"No one's here?" Tidus said as he stepped further onto the metal ship.

"Don't take the situation lightly." Lulu warned. Tidus's foot stepped on an uneven space before he jumped back when it started to open, "Told you so."

From the ground, a giant Oblitzerator machina emerge. "You think the same rules apply to this one?" Tidus asked as he got ready to fight.

"Most likely, after all this a machina," Lulu answered.

Ke'Ania was preparing herself for the battle as well when a large crane caught her eye, "Hey, what about this?"

"That could make the battle a little bit easier."

"Wait. You're just now noticing that?" Tidus asked.

"Yes! Now help me with this!" Ke'Ania yelled at the blond. The two tried to work on the crane while Lulu and Kimahri entertained the giant machina. "It's no good. The crane won't budge." Right when the two were about to give up, three blitzballs were heading towards them. At the last minute, they managed to jump out of the way.

"It might be out of power." Lulu theorized.

"But what can we use to power it up?" Ke'Ania asked as she dodged some more balls.

"It's an electrical motor, so Lulu might wanna use her lightning magic to get it to move." Tidus said while the rest of the group looked at him with curiosity. "I used to work with mechanical stuff back in my hometown. Sue me."

"Have I ever told you that you're a genius?" Lulu asked.

"No."

"Well you are."

"Gee. Thanks Lulu." Tidus lightly blushed while rubbing the back of his head.

"Some of the time," Lulu added. "I'll try to power up the crane. The rest of you try and keep that monstrosity busy for a while."

Everyone nodded before going to work. They would take turns distracting the Oblitzerator while the other two attacked it from its blind spot. Lulu was busy trying to feed the machina enough lightning to get it up and running. After a few flicks, Lulu's attempts had finally paid off.

"Ok. I got it working. Get it to work for us Tidus." Lulu commanded before using the rest of her magic on the attacking machina.

Tidus nodded before rushing over to the controls and operating the machine. With Tidus piloting the crane, he was able to remove the two rotating mechanisms on top of it before dropping them into the water.

"Lulu, I can see an opening from where the rotating things were removed. If you can aim your lightning magic there, then the machina with be finished." Ke'Ania said.

Lulu nodded and did as Ke'Ania suggested. When Lulu's lightning struck the opening, the machina's systems went haywire before finally stopping and exploding. Everyone shielded their eyes from the blast, and when they uncovered them the machina was gone and the door leading into the ship was opening. Yuna stood in its entrance with a blond Al Bhed falling to the ground. When he didn't get up, the gang could tell that he was out cold.

"Yuna! You're ok!" Ke'Ania and Tidus shouted.

"How are you? Did they hurt you? Did you hurt them?" Lulu questioned while checking her little 'sister' for any wounds.

"To answer your questions in order: I'm fine. No. And a little." The summoner smiled as she hugged her older 'sister'. A silent Tidus caught Yuna's attention. "What's the matter?"

"I was wondering if this was the same ship that belonged to the Al Bhed that rescued me when I first came to Spira. But now that I realize that this isn't the same ship, it makes me wonder… Whatever happened to them?"

"What happened?" Yuna asked.

"After I helped them find whatever they were looking for, Sin attacked us. I don't know how, but I ended up on Besaid, but I never knew what happened to them." Tidus explained with a sadden expression and tone.

"Wait. Are these the same Al Bhed you told us about the day we met you?" Ke'Ania asked with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah."

"Do you know if there was anyone named Cid on that ship?" Yuna asked.

"I couldn't really tell ya. Everyone, except for Riku, spoke that weird Al Bhed language when they were around me." Tidus informed.

"I see." Yuna lowered her head.

"Who's Cid, Yuna?" Ke'Ania asked as she stood next to her friend.

"He's my uncle, but I've never met the man. I've only heard of him. After my Mother married, he became distant. I remember my Mother telling me to seek him out if I ever need help. When you told me that Sin attacked the ship that you were on, it made me wonder if Sin got to him or not." Yuna explained.

"Sorry, Yuna, but I don't know anything. I wish I did." Tidus tried to comfort her by putting his hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright." Yuna sighed a she placed her smaller hand over his much larger one.

"So wait… That means you're Al Bhed too, right?" Ke'Ania asked.

"I am only part Al Bhed. That half of me comes from my Mother and her family."

"Hence the reason as to why Yuna has two different colored eyes. Al Bheds are marked by their green eyes because they have swirls inside of their eyes. But if you closely, you won't see the Al Bhed swirl. That is because Yuna is 3/4th human and 1/4th Al Bhed." Lulu explained. Once she was finished, there was a pregnant silence before Lulu decided to speak again. "Don't tell Wakka about Yuna's heritage. He never fancied the Al Bhed."

Everyone nodded their head before Tidus eagerly jumped off the railing he was sitting on. "We have to go!"

"Why?" Lulu asked.

"That game!" Yuna shouted.

Lulu nodded in understanding before using her elemental magic to take them back to Dock 4.

…

…

…

When they arrived back on the dock, Yuna took care of the remaining five machina before everyone turned their attention to the monitor. There were only 30 seconds left in this game when Wakka did an all out attack. Sora had the ball and was the only one not falling in. Three Al Bhed Psyches moved in on him. Sora waited until they were close enough before slipping away, causing them to bump into each other. Sora started to swim, but when he looked back he realized that the three team members were hot on his trail. So, to avoid any of them getting the ball, Sora riled his arm back and did a long pass to Wakka, which the redhead caught successfully. There were 10 seconds left, so Wakka swam as fast as he could to his opponents' goal. When he looked down, the Psyches' captain was swimming upward to hit him. Thinking quickly, Wakka used the ball to block the attack before doing a back flip off of the guy and hurling the ball into the goal at the last minute.

"**GOAL!"** Bubba announced over the intercom. **"INCREDIBLE FOLKS! THE BESAID AUROCHS WIN THE MATCH 3 – 2! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 23 YEARS THE AUROCHS WILL BE ADVANCING TO THE FINAL ROUND OF THIS TOURNAMENT!"**

When the ball went into the goal, Wakka allowed his body to just float there until Sora and Letty came to help him out of the Sphere Pool.

"We did it! We're in the finals!" Yuna cheered.

"Wakka could've held his composer just a little bit longer. Had Chappu been here he would be doing flips, even if he was in excruciating pain." Lulu sighed.

"Hey." Tidus called, catching the Black Mage's attention. "Don't you think that that was a little harsh. I mean, if it wasn't for Wakka we wouldn't have made it to the finals. Give the guy some credit. I mean you were the one who scolded him for wishing that Chappu was~" Tidus was cut off when he was put on the receiving end of one of Lulu's ice cold glares. Her red eyes only made it look scarier. _**"Finish that sentence and you die."**_

"Come on guys. Let's go congratulate the boys on their victory." Yuna cheered despite sensing the thick tension in the air.

…

…

…

"Hold still Wakka so that I can finish healing you." Donald commanded the tall captain.

"_**Is he not being a good patient?"**_ Ke'Ania smirked as she stood in the threshold of the locker room while the other four filed in.

"How are you two feeling?" Yuna asked.

"I'm fine. It's Wakka that needs medical help." Sora teased.

"Hey, watch yourself brat." Wakka scolded with a playful smirk on his face.

"You guys were great." Ke'Ania cheered.

"You really think so?" Sora asked as Ke'Ania nodded. "Thanks." The brunette blushed lightly while scratching his cheek.

"Up for another game, Sora?" Tidus asked.

"Bring them on. I've been waiting to get back at Bickson since day one." Sora grinned with determination in his eyes.

"Good. Because I don't think that our captain can handle anymore action for a while." Tidus teased.

"Hey. I'm ready to go anytime~" Wakka grunted in pain as he tried to sit up.

"You big dummy! You have to sit still if you want me to heal you!" Donald scolded again as he pushed his friend back down.

"So, are you ok Lady Yuna?" Keepa asked.

"I'm fine. But I am sorry that all of this happened on my behalf." Yuna apologized while bowing.

"Stay away from those sneaky Al Bheds. They trouble." Wakka grunted.

"Here. Let me heal you Wakka. It's the least I can do." Yuna smiled as she walked over and sat by her older 'brother'. Her hands started to glow green as she started to heal his injured torso.

"Tidus… You're captain for this game. I'm going to sit this one out." Wakka grunted.

"I guess you do have some sense in that big head of yours." Lulu teased with a smile on her face.

"Listen to me guys. Whether we win or lose this game, I'll be retiring from Blitzball forever. I will become Yuna's full-time guardian from now on. But I want you guys to know that no matter what, I don't regret becoming you guys' captain. I think of you all as my family. Remember that." Wakka said.

"You're serious?" Datto asked. Wakka could only nod his answer. "Well then… Let's win this tournament against the Goers in honor of Captain Wakka!" Datto cheered along with the rest of the team.

...

…

…

The team had done their cheer before entering the Sphere Pool. The rest of the gang headed upstairs to the stadium. Only Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka remained in the locker room.

"There you go Wakka. You're healed, but I would take it easy for a couple of hours. You might open your wounds again." The teen smiled.

"Thank you Yuna." Wakka smiled.

"Would you like some help getting to the stadium?"

"Yuna, why don't you go ahead. I'll take over from here." Lulu offered. Yuna didn't argue. She just nodded and did as suggested. Lulu saw her out before turning to see Wakka standing. "I saw you floating on the sphere today." Lulu said softly.

"You weren't supposed to see that." Wakka said groggily.

"You're hopeless." Lulu shook her head before suddenly having Wakka collapse into her arms.

"You always put your heart into these games as you did today, Wakka. Are you trying to prove that you're better than Chappu? You don't have to prove anything, Wakka. So stop it." Lulu said, trying to hold back a tear. She didn't know if Wakka could hear her, but it didn't matter. That conversation was only between her and her inner feelings to begin with.

…

…

…

The game was going pretty, despite the altercations they had from earlier with Bickson and his team mates. Tidus, Sora, and their other team mates had fun messing with the Goers while passing the ball and shooting. Ke'Ania and Yuna held the boys jackets, necklaces, Sora's belt, and Tidus's armguard to help the boys swim faster. The score was currently 3 – 3 and there was only three minutes left. Sora was the one to even the score, but what caught everyone in the Sphere Pool attention was the crowd calling for Wakka. Sora and Tidus looked confused as to what was going on, but Letty and Datto knew what the crowd wanted. Discreetly, both men left the Sphere Pool to retrieve their captain. Lulu was the one to object, but Wakka ended up convincing her.

"You better not get hurt out there. Because if you do… _**I'll make you regret going back out there.**_" Lulu threatened before walking over to the exit. "I'll be watching… Good luck."

…

…

…

Everyone cheered as they saw Wakka return to the Sphere Pool. Sora and Tidus were more concerned than worried. They looked at their friend to silently ask if he was ok to do this. Wakka nodded before taking over as team captain again. With Wakka back on the field, the three friends had more fun messing with the Goers than ever.

Time was winding down. The score was still even and the three friends agreed to not let this drag into overtime. It was time to pull out their secret move. Tidus was the one who took the ball to the Goers' goal, but stopped when he was encountered by three Goers. The Goers thought that they had the dirty blond, but the smirk on his face proved them wrong. Tidus tossed the ball into the air before punching it at one of the Goers. The ball hit the player on the side of his face before bouncing off and coming towards Sora. Sora was determined not to miss this shot. When the ball was close enough, Sora spun around before delivering a powerful kick to the ball. The ball hit the hit a girl in her stomach before bouncing off of her and heading in Wakka's direction. Wakka was ready. Wakka did a front flip and kicked the ball toward Bickson's face. Bickson cried as he held his bleeding and bruised face. Tidus jumped up, spun around, and kicked the ball forward. With the power behind his kick, the ball sped through the water too fast for anyone to stop. Too scared to catch that ball, the goalie moved out of the way and allowed the ball to hit the back of the board. Allowing the Aurochs to win 4 – 3.

The crowd cheered at the Besaid Aurochs' victory. Wakka sighed in relief and happiness. Before flipping over and floating on his back. He felt so happy. His last tournament ended with a victory. He had finally made the past Besaid Aurochs proud.

Sora and Tidus smiled at their friend's happiness as they received Tidus's sword and Wakka's ball. But right when they were about to exit the Sphere Pool, fish-like fiends appeared and infested the pool. Sora, Tidus, and Wakka were on their guard immediately. Tidus and Sora sliced the fiends in front of them while Wakka threw his ball, once again angling it right so that it killed multiple targets. There were too many of them, but the boys continued to fight on. They knew they had to escape and figure out what was going outside the Sphere Pool. Wakka pointed to the exit, Tidus and Sora understood. Not caring about most of the fiends, the boys fought their way through the ambush of fiends, barely escaping with minor scratches.

When they exited the Sphere Pool, they could see that there were more fiends and even some Heartlesses roaming around and terrorizing the people. "We have to find the others." Wakka said. As soon as he said that more Heartlesses and fiends appeared.

"Where did all of these fiends and Heartlesses come from?" Tidus grunted as he pushed back two Heartlesses trying to jump him.

"**KE'ANIA, DONALD, GOOFY, LULU, KIMAHRI, YUNA! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?"** Sora yelled.

…

…

…

"**TIDUS, SORA, WAKKA!"** Yuna yelled before she used her fire element to blast a few flying fiends. "Oh. Where could they be?"

"We'll meet them eventually." Ke'Ania grunted as she used her water element to knock some wolf-like fiends over the edge. "I just want to know where the hell all of these fiends and Heartlesses came from."

…

…

…

Auron stood in the stands, just as calm as ever, while everyone else ran around the stadium in panic. To his right, the growling of a four eyed, four legged dragon fiend caught his attention. "You want some?" Auron asked. The fiend roared in response. Auron smirked as he pulled his arm out of his sleeve and readied his sword form behind his back. "Come get some." The dragon made the first move. It rushed at him with clumsy movement. Auron managed to sidestep before bringing his sword down onto its neck. "Pitiful." He tsked.

"Auron?" Tidus called.

"Sir Auron?" Wakka called too.

"You know Auron?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah. He was the best guardian there ever was." Wakka explained.

Tidus moved to talk with his guardian, but stopped when a winged fiend appeared. The four boys got ready to fight it. "You have a lot of explaining to do, Auron." Tidus growled.

"You'll get most of your answers after this." Auron replied.

Wakka delivered a hard blow it its head before Tidus and Sora teamed up to slice into it. Auron was the one to finish it off by jumping on its back and piercing its back and chest. Auron hopped off before it completely disappeared.

"Alright, old man, time to~" Tidus was interrupted again when more and more Heartless and fiends surrounded them in the stands. "Give me a break."

…

…

…

While everyone was fighting, a mighty roar caught their attention. Maester Seymour had just summoned his most powerful aeon, Anima. Everyone watched in amazement at how easily the aeon removed the creatures. It treated them as if they were insignificant. "Well… It looks like he can handle things from here." Auron said as he placed his sword in its hold on his back and his arm in his sleeve. "Come Tidus." The warrior didn't turn around, but he did stop when he sensed that the boy wasn't following him. "If you want your answers, you need to follow me then." And with that Auron left with Tidus in tow.

"Come on. Let's meet up with the others." Wakka said. Sora nodded and followed.

…

…

…

"Thank Yevon you guys are ok." Lulu sighed in relief.

"Where is Tidus? Did you lose him?" Ke'Ania asked.

"We met up with Sir Auron and fought with him. While Master Seymour's aeon took care of those fiends, Sir Auron and Tidus snuck off somewhere to talk." Wakka explained.

"So… Sir Auron _**was **_here. That's good." Yuna said.

"Um… Wakka… You do have a team to be saying goodbye to, don't you?" Lulu said, jogging the redhead's memory.

…

…

…

After Wakka received the trophy, he passed it onto his team. "Good-bye you guys. It's been fun."

"So you're really leaving Captain Wakka?" Letty asked as he accepted the trophy.

"Yeah, shouldn't you like rest up first?" Datto asked.

"Yuna needs me now. I don't have time for doubts or to be lying in some bed."

"What about you Sora? Don't you wanna stay with us?" Keepa asked.

"Sorry guys, although I'm sure I can speak for Tidus and me. We did have fun playing with you guys, but, like Wakka said, duty calls. Maybe if we come back to Besaid we can play Blitzball again. Hope you guys improve by then." Sora laughed with them.

"Well… if you're absolutely sure, then we support you all the way, Captain." Botta smiled.

Wakka and Sora smiled before turning their back on their team. "Make sure that that trophy is shinning when I get home."

Sora and Wakka strolled up the stairs to meet up with Donald, Goofy, Ke'Ania, Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri. "So… You've really quit?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah, no more distractions. I'm your guardian full time now, Yuna."

"Same goes for me." Sora chimed in.

"Welcome Sir Wakka, Sir Sora."

"It's good to be back." Wakka smiled. "So… does anyone know what happened?"

"After the fiends and Heartless attacked, Maester Seymour's aeon took care of them and saved everyone. No one knows where they came from." Lulu answered.

"Have you two seen Tidus and Auron yet?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Nope, we thought that they would be here by time we finished." Sora answered.

"There they are." Yuna announced as Auron strolled toward them with Tidus lagging behind him. To pay their respects Yuna, Wakka, and Lulu greeted them with the prayer.

"Yuna, I wish to be your guardian~" He stopped so that he could pull Tidus in front of him. "He has to come too. Do you accept?"

"Of course, I am happy to welcome you both with open arms." Yuna smiled. "Sir Auron? Do you know where Sir Jecht is?"

"Can't say that I do, haven't seen the man in ten years." The man answered before turning to Lulu. Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy took their seats on the stairs.

"Hey, come with me." Yuna smiled as she dragged Tidus off.

For the next five minutes Yuna and Tidus whistled, laughed, joked, and talked to each other. To everyone else the two teens would've thought that they were crazy, but to Ke'Ania it was a display of them bonding with one another.

"What do you think got into them?" Sora asked with his hands resting on both of his palms.

"They're sharing a moment no one else can have with either of them." Ke'Ania answered with a smile on her face.

"Oh yeah? And how would you know that, miss smarty pants?" Sora teased.

"Because… those are the moments I wish I could share with someone I like." Her voice was gentle and small so that only Sora could hear. She knew that every moment she spent with Sora was a part of all their special moments. She was just trying to get him to notice that. She could sense things, but she wasn't a mind reader.

"Ok. Now that the crazy moment between you two is over, how about you tell us where we're going." Wakka said.

"Our next temple to visit is Djose Temple, but first we must travel along the Mi'ihen Highroad, which we'll get to by using these stairs." Yuna explained.

"Auron? Are you really a warrior?" Sora asked.

"Just how old are you? You look really old." Donald commented.

"Do you go around fighting' bad guys all the time. That's so cool." Goofy smiled.

"You three are the weirdest people I've ever met." Auron groaned.


	23. Failed Plans

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Cussing. Sending dance. Death. Sadness. Violence. The usual.

**Chapter 20: Failed Plans**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

The day was still early so we decided to continue with Yuna's pilgrimage. We insisted that Wakka rest for a day, but he was too stubborn to listen. So, instead of fighting with him, Yuna used the rest of her white magic to heal him before we continued. So here we stood, the nine of us plus Auron, at the top of the stairs staring at the road we're getting ready to travel.

"This is the Mi'ihen Highroad?" Sora asked. "Where does it lead?"

"At the end of this road is an Inn. We'll rest there. After that we'll head to Mushroom Rock Road. From there we'll go to Djose Temple, the Moonflow, Guadosalam and so one and so forth." Auron explained. "Let's get a move on. I would like to get to the Inn before nightfall. Along this road we'll encounter some ugly fiends, but the stronger ones come out at night. I don't think any of you want to be out here when they come out to play." Without saying another word. Auron started walking away.

"Wow he's bossy." I grumbled while folding my arms.

"That's just Auron's way o talking." Tidus said.

"Sir Auron has probably traveled Spira more times than we can count. It's best we listen to him. Don't wanna wind up dead before Yuna completes her pilgrimage, ya?" Wakka smiled.

"That's not funny." Sora, Tidus, and I grumbled.

...

…

…

We mostly walked in silence. Sora, Tidus, Donald, Goofy, and I were admiring the different figures standing along the road. I stopped when I saw the statue of a man standing tall and proud with a weird weapon in front of him.

"Who's this?" I asked.

"_**That, young lady, is the statue of Lord Mi'ihen."**_ An elderly voice said from behind us, causing most of us to jump. We turned around to an elderly man with a long white beard, glasses, and dressing in green robes with matching hat. If I had to guess, I'd say that this man was a scholar. He started to laugh when he realized that he had surprise us. "I am terribly sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"May I ask who you are?" Yuna asked as she approached the scholar looking man.

"Forgive me Lady Yuna. My name is Maechen. I am a scholar whose main purpose in life is to travel around Spira and learn everything I can about this magnificent place and its inhabitants." The old man introduced as he bowed. "I must say that it's quite an honor to be in the presents of one such as yourself."

"I'm not really that special. My Father is the one who should really be honored." Yuna blushed.

"That is quite modest of you, but I must say that you are one to be recognized as well. Despite knowing your fate as a summoner and what happened to your father, you decided to step up and take the steps needed to defeat Spira's most formidable foe. You are a very brave young lady and I must thank you."

"Thank you." Yuna blush redden. "Are you going to the Inn down the road? Maybe you can travel with us. It's not safe for someone such as yourself to be traveling this road alone."

"Thank you, Mi Lady. You are right. I'm not as young as I used to be. Fighting fiends were never my forfeit anyway." He laughed.

"So Maechen. Who's this 'Lord Mi'ihen' guy anyway." Sora asked.

"You do not know?" The old man asked before taking a good look at us. "Oh. You must be the odd people I've heard about."

"Odd people?" I asked.

"Yes. Along my travels I've heard that Lady Yuna was traveling with four unordinary people. You must be them. And from what I can see… you must not be from this world."

"It's supposed to be a secret." Goofy said with his gloved hands over his mouth.

"It doesn't matter now. We might as well forget about being undercover." Donald sighed.

"So… about this Mi'ihen person?" I asked, trying to get back on subject.

"Ah yes. Lord Mi'ihen was the founder of the Crusaders eight hundred years ago. When first formed, they were called the Crimson Blades. With Lord Mi'ihen as their leader, their ranks grew and soon all of Spira were slowly becoming dependant on them for safety. After hearing about them, the Maesters of Yevon became fearful of their power and wrongly accused them of rebellion. When called into question, Lord Mi'ihen traveled along this very road to face and dismiss those charges. Once the Maesters were proven wrong and gave them their trust, The Crimson Blades, later to be named the Crusaders, became an arm of the Yevon clergy." Maechan explained as we continued walking down the road.

"Wow, so he was really big back then huh?" Tidus asked.

"He was quite 'big' young lad. One of the most famous people to ever live in Spira, besides the past summoners who have defeated Sin."

"Ohhhhh. What are those?" Goofy asked and he pointed to, what looked like, an old building.

"Those are ruins you'll find most common along this road. They were from a city most ancient. There used to be a city that stood here long before Sin appeared. But, after Sin came and went, this city was one of the many that didn't stand a chance against Sin's testament of power. I can't help trembling every time I see them."

"This was once a city destroyed by Sin?" Donald asked with awe in his voice.

"Yes. Sin's power is truly terrifying. It makes the people of Spira look more like mud puppies." Maechen sighed. "I hope you will be the one to give the people a reason to rejoice once more. You have so much resolve. It would be a pity if you didn't succeed in your pilgrimage."

"When I first decided to become a summoner, the only goal I had in mind was to bring an end to Sin. I will see that goal to the very end." Yuna said with seriousness in her voice.

"What an admirable thing to say. You sound like your father, Lady Yuna." The scholar smiled.

"Have you met him?"

"Yes, but only once and for a short time. I only wish that I had more time with him. He spoke fondly of you. It made me excited to see you. I actually hoped the meet you during my travels. Right before parting, Lord Braska said that we'll meet up again before he fought Sin, but, of course… we never got the chance to." Yuna lowered her head at that. I bet she was thinking about her father.

"I am very sorry. I did not mean to open old wounds."

"It's quite alright. I've learned to live with his death and honor him in the best way I see fit, by following in his footsteps." Yuna gave a sad smile.

"You are truly strong."

Everyone in the group just stood there and watched the two have their conversation. Tension filled the atmosphere. I shifted on my right leg from the uncomfortable feeling I was getting. Thinking of a way to break the tensed atmosphere, I walked over to the ruins we stood in front of.

"What are you doing, Ke'Ania?" Sora asked.

"I'm going to look at those ruins. They fascinate me." I replied before climbing the small hill into the building-like ruin.

There really wasn't anything special about this building. It was covered in vines and moss. They weren't really all that fascinating, but I had to do something to release the tense atmosphere.

"Come. We have to be at the Inn before nightfall, or did you forget about my warning?" Auron said as he stepped closer to the small hill.

"I didn't forget. I just~" I stopped talking when my ears moved at the sound of something moving. I walked further into the ruin.

"Do you hear something?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah. There's something behind here, but I don't know what it is." I tried to get closer, but jumped back when I saw something. Without a second thought, I ran back to hid behind Sora. **"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" **I yelled while pointed at a fiend with a rock as its shell.

"That is known as a Raldo. Its shell is made out of rock. Its defense is great and it can use its shell to hit some hard with, but its speed leaves a lot to be desired for." Maechen explained.

"Can you use magic on it?" Lulu asked as she was getting ready to pull out her doll.

"Its shell prevents it from being hurt by any type of magic. Only thick bladed weapons can kill it."

"Fine then, if we can't beat it with magic, then I'll take care of it." Tidus smirked as he pulled out his long blue blade from behind him. Tidus ran toward it. The Raldo folded into the feeble position right when Tidus was about to attack. "What the hell? My sword had no effect."

"Hardheaded as usual." Auron sighed before removing his blade from his right hip. "Maechen just said that only a thick blade will be able to kill it. Your blade isn't thick enough, but Kimahri and mine's are. Watch and learn for once. I'll handle this Kimahri." Auron said before he ran towards the fiend. The fiend tried to huddle itself again, but Auron stuck his blade though its shell and pierced it all the way through. Auron raised his blade high in the air before swinging it to the right, causing the dead fiend to fly off his sword. "Told ya." Auron smirked before placing his sword back on his waist.

"Told ya. Sir Auron is the best." Wakka cheered.

"He ain't all that great." Tidus grumbled before placing his sword behind him again.

…

…

…

We walked for a another hour, just making idle conversation, before something came toward us from the sky. **"HIT THE DECK!"** I yelled. Everyone jumped to the ground. When the thing finally stopped, I got a good look at it. The fiend's body looked like it was formed up by molten lava rocks. On the top of its head were spikes engulfed in flames. "Ok Maechen. What's this thing?"

"That, young lady, is known as a Boom. There are different types of Booms, but all of them have an element. This one's seems to be fire. But be warned… Do _**not**_ try to attack it. After the third attack, it will follow the last attacker around and cause self-destruct on itself and its attacker. If you want to end it quickly, an attacking it with its opposite element is the way to go."

"I'll handle this one." Lulu smirked before removing her doll. She moved her hand to summon her ice element. _**"Freeze."**_ Lulu sneered before she released a stream of ice crystals from her fingers. The stream traveled from her fingers and into the fiend's mouth. Within seconds, the fiend's body turned blue before it fell to the ground.

"Whoa… What did you do, Lu?" Wakka asked.

"I learned that technique right before we left Besaid; I just never got a chance to use it."

"What does it do?" Donald asked.

"A light stream of ice crystals are released from my fingers and travel into my enemy's mouth. Once inside, the crystals look for the core before freezing it, successfully killing it." Lulu explained as she tucked her doll away.

"You _**have**_ to teach me that trick one day." I cheered.

"Ya might wanna do that later, Ke'Ania." Goofy said.

"Why?"

"Because it looks like we got company!" The black dog yelled as he pointed behind us.

We turned around to see a giant flying bat with a huge eye taking up 70% of its face, a rather large dog-like creature with two large horns on top of its head, and a wolf-like fiend, kind of like the ones on Beside and Kilika, except this one's fur was red.

"Maechen?" I nervously asked as I drew my Keyblades.

"The giant bat like creature is known as a Floating Eye. It can shot a beam from its eye that will cause its victim to confuse its allies with enemies. The Floating Eye can only be defeated by using aerial weapons, such as Sir Wakka's ball. The second one is dubbed as a Dual Horn. It is a powerful beast that can shoot fireballs from its mouth. You can use ice magic, but it's mostly best to go with weapons. Be wary of its horns and its head butts. The last fiend is known a Mi'ihen Fang. This species of fiend can be found everywhere in Spira, but this type of fang is only common along this road. It is very quick and sneaky." Maechen explained.

"Alright everyone. You heard the man. Everyone pick a fiend." Wakka commanded as everyone readied for the fight.

Tidus, Goofy, Sora and I took on the Fang. Sora charged at the fiend, but was shocked when the fang was a lot quicker than he thought. The Fang disappeared from Sora's sight before coming up behind him and slicing his leg with its claws. Sora yelled in pain as he tried to apply pressure to his bleeding leg. When the fined was about to attack Sora again, I came from behind it and killed it when I stabbed it.

"Are you alright Sora?" I asked her fallen crush.

"Yeah. I'll be alright." Sora tried to smile, but instead hissed at the pain on his calf.

"Hold still. I can't heal you, but we can at least try to stop the bleeding." I reached down to untie my belt.

"You can't use your white belt. I might ruin it with my blood." Sora warned.

"It's fine. I can call the ship down and get the brooms to clean it for me later on tonight. I'm more concerned for you than about some stupid belt." I said as I finished using a little of my water element to clean his wound before dressing it with my belt. "There. How do you feel?"

"A little bit better. It just hurts."

"Try not to walk on it so much. Here. I'll help you walk." Ke'Ania smiled as she threw one of his arms over her shoulders before hosting him up. "Damn Sora. You're heavy." I grunted with a smile on my face.

"That's all muscle." Sora smiled back.

Our moment was interrupted when another Fang came rushing at us. Before it could reach us, Goofy stepped in our way and used his shield to block the attack. While Goofy was busy distracting the Fang with his shield, Tidus came behind it and slice it in two.

"You guys ok?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah. Thanks to you two." Sora smiled.

"Can you walk?" Tidus asked.

"It hurts to." Sora answered.

"Here. I'll help you. Ke'Ania can't carry your fat ass." Tidus smirked as he took Sora from me.

"Hey! I told you that that is muscle!"

I laughed as I turned my head to see how everyone else was doing. Auron and Kimahri were fighting the Dual horn. I watched in amazement as both warriors attacked continuously before disappearing from its sights. I could tell that it was confused. I gasped when suddenly both Auron and Kimahri attacked its front and its back at the same time. The Dual Horn disappeared after being defeated.

Over by the Floating Eye, Yuna, Wakka, Lulu, and Donald were fighting. The Floating Eye shot out a ray and hit Donald with it. The duck was confused before Yuna used Esuna to cure him. Wakka aimed his ball at the Floating Eye, but it moved out of the way and tried to aim for him. Wakka rolled out of the way before running toward his ball. But when he got the ball, the fiend was right behind him. Lulu used her lightning magic to save him.

Soon all of the fiends were defeated and we regrouped. "You guys did a marvelous job. I was excited throughout the whole thing." Maechen cheered.

"Sora! You're hurt." Yuna gasped.

"Yeah, but I'll be alright?" Sora tried to smile.

"Here. Let me heal you." Yuna ran to Sora's side, got on her knees and used her white magic to heal him. A couple of minutes later, Yuna stood up with a smile on her face. "There. How do you feel?"

"It's fine now. I can walk without it hurting. Thanks you, Yuna." Sora said before handing me my belt stained with his blood. "Sorry about your belt."

"It's alright." I smiled as I took the belt and put it in my back pocket. "I'm just glad that you're alright." Sora and I continued to smile at each other before the sound of something running caught my attention. "We have more company."

"Whoa…" A woman dressed in armor riding a Chocobo commanded. The Chocobo slowed to a stop in front of use with two others behind her. "You are Lady Yuna?" The red haired woman asked.

" I am."

"It's very nice to meet you. I am Lucil, captain of the Chocobo Knights." The redhead introduced.

"I am Elma." A short haired raven introduced.

"And I'm Clasko."

"It's nice to meet you all." Yuna "May I ask what you guys are doing here?"

"We've been asked to guard the Highroad." Elma answered.

"Yeah. We've gotten word that there's a large Chocobo eating fiend wondering around here." Clasko informed.

"Please be careful if you chose to rent or are near any Chocobos." Lucil warned.

"Thank you for the warning. And please, be careful yourselves." Yuna said as she thanked them with the prayer.

"We're getting back to our rounds. I hope that we will have the pleasure of meeting again Lady Yuna." Lucil said.

Our grouped moved off the road so that Lucil, Elma, and Clasko can pass. Once the trio left, I turned my head to see Tidus deep in thought. "I say let's go get that large fiend." Tidus cheered.

"Why do you care?" Auron said in a bored tone.

"If there's a large fiend terrorizing those birds, then we should be the ones to put an end to it. It is the right thing to do after all."

" 'It's the right thing to do'. You sound just like Jecht." Auron chuckled. "And every time he wanted us to do that right thing, he would drag Braska and I into a lot of trouble."

"_**Excuse me. But did I hear you say something about Lord Braska?"**_

We turned our heads to see a woman dressed in a long sleeved, low-cut, green dress with two matching circles on both sides of her head. "Yes. We were speaking of Lord Braska. Is there something you wanted to know?" Auron asked.

"Yes." The woman said before moving to stand in front of Yuna. "You look like him. Tell me. Are you Lady Yuna?"

"Why yes I am. But, who are you?"

"Forgive me. My name is Belgemine. I've heard much of you. I was hoping to meet you while you journeyed. I am just glad that I caught you before you got too far ahead in your pilgrimage. You are still freshly a summoner, are you not?"

"Yes. My journey began at Besaid." Yuna answered.

"Besaid, hm? Then that means you only have two aeons correct?" Yuna nodded. "Good. Shall we test to see whose aeon's are stronger?" The woman offered.

"I'll do my best."

"That's the spirit. Come. Let's move to the middle of the road. We'll have more room that way." Yuna moved to follow Belgemine before standing a yard away from her. "Are you ready?" Yuna nodded again. "Good. Let's begin." We watched as Belgemine summoned her own Ifrit. Despite seeing what she was up against, Yuna hardly flinched. "Summon your first aeon. Let's see how you fair against my Valfore."

Yuna nodded before summoning Valefor. After Yuna greeted her comrade, Valefor moved to float at her side. "You may make the first move." Yuna offered.

"Alright. Ifrit, use Meteor Strike." Belgemine commanded.

Ifrit opened his mouth and created a giant fireball before hurling it at Valefor. **"VALEFOR! USE SHIELD!"** Yuna commanded and just like that, a sphere made of rays surrounded her body. When the attack hit, Valefor was pushed back a little bit, but she didn't look hurt. "Are you alright?" She nodded. "My turn. Valefor, use Sonic Wings!" Yuna commanded.

Valefor nodded before throwing her wings forward. Ifrit looked as if he didn't know what was going on. After he was hit by Valefor's attack, Ifrit started to wobble a little. "Now's our chance! Valefor, use Energy Ray!" After nodding, Valefor got into the position.

When the attack went off, Ifrit wobbled on his back legs before falling over. Before he even hit the ground, Pyreflies flew out of his body. He laid on the ground until his body was completely gone. "Stop. You have bested me. Congratulations." Yuna sighed in relief before dismissing her aeon. "You are strong like your father. You might just have what it take to defeat Sin."

"Thank you, but I think you will defeat Sin before I do."

"I cannot… Or rather, I was unable too."

"_What does she mean that she was unable too?"_

"You mean that~"

"Let's save that question for another day." Yuna nodded in understanding while I was left curious. "Farewell Yuna and Yuna's guardians. I will see you in the near future." Belgemine waved.

I wait until she was out of hearing distance before moving towards Yuna. "What did she mean by she was unable to defeat Sin?"

"It means that she was killed during her battle with Sin. Now she is an unsent wondering Spira." Yuna answered.

"Creepy…" I shivered.

…

…

…

We continued walking. I stopped shortly after, rubbing my arms to try and warm myself up. "Did it just get colder all of a sudden?" I shivered. Before I knew it, ice started to form at my feet before slowly climbing up my body.

"Ke'Ania!" Sora yelled. I turned around to see an ice Element behind me.

I was too cold to do anything. It felt as if my body was going to shut down in an attempt to try and warm itself up. Lulu and Yuna were the ones to save me.

"_**Burn."**_ I heard Lulu growl as she burned the Element while Yuna used her fire magic to try and warm me up.

"Are you alright?" Yuna asked me.

"Yeah… Just a little cold still." I shivered. Yuna continued to use her fire magic to warm me up until I stopped shivering. "I'm fine now. Let's continue."

…

…

…

We walk a few minutes longer until we saw a little kid and an adult. From the way the child was acting and talking, I guessed that the woman was her mom.

"My Lady Summoner." The long haired woman greeted with the prayer.

The child stopped playing and walked over to us. She turned her gaze to Yuna. "You're a summoner?"

"That's right. I am Summoner Yuna."

"I'm Calli and this is my Mom." She smiled as Yuna kneeled down to the child's level. "Lady Yuna? Are you going to bring us the Calm?" I saw how Yuna gave the girl a shaky smile before nodding. "You are? I'm so happy!" Calli cheered.

"We'll be looking forward to another Calm."

"Well I'll do my best to bring it to Spira." Yuna said as she got up.

There wasn't much left to say, Calli and her Mom waved to us before heading to the way of the Inn.

I turned to look and Yuna and saw how shaky she was. She must've been nervous about something.

"_I wonder what could have her quaking in her boots?"_

…

…

…

"We rest here." Auron said, snapping my out of my thoughts. I looked up to see a nice sized inn.

"But this is an _**Al Bhed **_shop." Wakka sneered.

"And?" Auron questioned with one eyebrow raised.

"I'm sorry Sir Auron, but I can't stay in a place that's sacrilegious against Yevon. And besides, in Luca they kidnapped Yuna. I don't want to have that happen again." Wakka huffed.

"Where were her guardians?" Auron asked while moving to stand in front of Wakka. The orange haired guardian blushed, but never turned to face his idol. "That's what I thought." Auron walked away.

"Please Wakka. Besides you still need to rest since you refused to rest after your injuries from the tournament." Yuna pleaded.

"I'll be fine, Yuna. I'm not even tired."

"Well I am." Auron called from over his shoulder.

…

…

…

We all ventured into the inn and tried to sleep, sadly none of us could. Yuna was sitting on the mini cliff overlooking the sea. Kimahri and Auron stood just outside the inn's door, watching over Yuna like the silent guardians they are. Lulu and Wakka were sitting in a patch of flowers having a conversation I paid no attention to. Donald and Goofy played with the Chocobos. Maechen was inside reading some Al Bhed books. I sat on the inn's roof and relished in the beautiful scenery before me. The sea looked as if it was blazing from the reflection of the setting sun. It was nice seeing this sunset for once. It reminded me of the sunsets I watch when I was home.

My attention was caught when I saw Tidus come out of the inn and walked over to Yuna. They sat together and talked as if it was all they did. It looked sweet from where I sat. It reminded me of all the sweet moments Sora and I have.

"What are you doing way up here?" Sora's voice made me jump.

"Oh. Just enjoying the sunset." I nervously laughed while scratching the back of my head.

Sora chuckled a little before moving to sit next to me. "Wow… I never thought that we'd be able to enjoy something like this since this journey began."

"I know right. I love moments like this. I can't sense an enemy and the scenery is just so…"

"Beautiful?" I jerked my head to a blushing Sora. "The scenery. It's beautiful."

"Yeah… It really is." I smiled as I turned my head back to the sea.

"Do you think that we'll have another moment like this?" Sora asked.

"I hope so." I sighed, knowing that moments like this only come once in a blue moon. "Where do you think Riku and Kairi are now?"

"I don't know. I just hope that they stay safe until we find them. I don't know if I lost more members on my family." I could tell that my green eyes were slowly going to blue the more I thought about my lost friends.

"They're not lost Ke'Ania." Sora said, knowing exactly what I was talking about. "They're just out of our reach right now. I bet, by the end of this adventure we'll be united with all of our friends. And then maybe then we can all live on the island or even in your home world, or maybe we can settle in a whole new world. Wouldn't that be~"

He stopped talking when he felt me kiss his cheek. "Thanks you Sora. I feel a lot better. I lightly smiled.

"Anytime." His blush was so cute. I leaned against his shoulder and enjoyed our surroundings. I felt myself start to drift off, but jumped awake when Sora called me. "Hey. You didn't wash your belt."

"Huh?" I looked down and noticed that my blood stained belt was still in my back pocket. "Oh yeah. Remember, I said that I'll call the ship tonight."

"Sorry again about getting blood on your clean belt."

"It was nothing. By the way. How is your leg?"

"Great. Yuna did a good job healing me. How do you feel? Are you still cold?"

"No. I've completely warmed up by now." I smiled, never moving from his shoulder.

We sat there for a while before finally deciding to go back into the inn to try and get some sleep. Sora was the first one to jump off. When I jumped, I missed my spot next to him and ended up landing on Sora. When we looked at the position we were in, large blushes appeared on our faces. I was straddling Sora's torso with my legs and arms. We quickly got up and dusted ourselves off before heading into the inn to have dinner and go to sleep.

…

…

…

As promised, while everyone was sleeping, I summoned the Gummi Ship with only Sora knowing. At breakfast, everyone sat around the table and talked.

"Hey Yuna. How much further do we have to go after this?" Sora asked after swallowing some of his Chocobo eyes.

"We're half-way through the Mi'ihen Highroad. Once we pass through here, we have to go through Mushroom Rock Road, which will lead us to Djose Temple. We'll wait for Yuna to obtain the aeon and for Ke'Ania to fully charge before continuing onto the Moonflow. Everything after that can wait until we get to that bridge." Lulu said before taking a swing of her orange juice.

"Awe man. We can't just take the Gummi Ship?"

"Oh stop your complaining Sora. Besides, you could use the exercise and fresh air. You're starting to look chunky." I teased.

"**IT'S MUSCLE!"** He yelled, causing everyone to laugh or chuckle.

"**AHHHH SOME HELP! THE CHOCOBOS!"** We all stood up when we heard the scream.

"That's our cue." Auron said. We all nodded.

…

…

…

**Normal P.O.V.**

Outside, with a Chocobo in its clutches, a large fiend stood. "There it is!" Ke'Ania yelled as everyone drew their weapons.

"Damn that sucker's big." Tidus said.

"_**Yes. It's quite big in deed."**_

"Maechen? What are you doing here?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah. You should be hiding in the inn. We'll take care of this fiend." Donald said.

"I know, but I thought I could be of use in helping you fight this fiend. I have studied almost every fiend in Spira."

"Ok old man. Tell us what you know about this ugly beast?" Auron said with his sword swung over his back.

"As you all know, the fiend standing before you is known as a Chocobo Eater. It uses its fangs to crush the Chocobos who have the misfortune to be caught by this monstrous fiend."

"_**Some time today old man." **_Auron growled.

"Oh sorry." Maechen apologized. "This fiend has the ability to use ice magic, so fire would be the best option. But brute force is just as good against it for those of you who don't know how to use magic. Good luck, guardians." The old man said before going back into the inn.

"Alright guys. Let's get to work." Tidus smirked before we all rushed at it.

Ke'Ania jumped over its fist before using her Keyblades to make a gash in its face. It screamed and held its injured face before glaring at her.

"Ohhh looks like you made it mad." Goofy said.

It swung its fists at her again, but she managed to do a back flip out of the way. "Stand back everyone. Wakka's going to simplify this battle." The redhead yelled before cocking his hand back and throwing the ball at its face. The ball landed in its eyes, successfully blinding it, before coming back to Wakka. "Ha! Take that you ugly fiend!" He cheered.

The fiend screamed more at its injury before pointing at Wakka. They didn't know what it was doing until ice started to form at the bottom of his feet. "Wakka!" Yuna yelled before using her fire magic to unfreeze him. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, but my feet are a little numb though"

"Well that's what you get for gloating before the battle was over. Stand back and watch how a Black Mage handles things." Lulu smirked before standing before the flaying fiend. "Turn up the heat." Lulu said before placing her hands against the ground, using her fire element to make a line for the fiend before setting it on fire. "How was that?"

"Lu!" Wakka yelled before pushing Lulu out of the way when the fiend slammed its fists on the ground. "Now who's gloating before the battle's won?" Wakka smirked.

Lulu turned her head when she realized that Wakka was hovering over her. "You can get off of me now."

"Sorry." Wakka blushed harder as he helped the raven up.

"Watch out!" Sora yelled before throwing his Keyblade behind the pair and killing three new enemies that were added to the equation.

"What are those?" Yuna asked as she pointed to the army of black creatures besides the .

"Heartlesses. Shadows to be exact. They're the things we told you about. I'm actually shocked that they showed up here." Ke'Ania informed.

"If they're here, then doesn't that mean that the villain is close by?" Goofy asked.

"_**I hope so. I would like for him to taste my Keyblades as payback for making our jobs harder."**_ Ke'Ania sneered as she killed four more Heartless in two swings.

"If you guys have more experience fighting those Heartlesses, then you four deal with them while we fight off the fiend." Auron commanded as the four of them nodded.

Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy moved to fight against the Heartlesses while the others moved to fight against the fiend. Ke'Ania and Sora were like an unbeatable team. Sora would kill the first five in their way before Ke'Ania would run, jump off his back, do a front flip, and slam her Keyblades into the ground, causing some of her elemental powers to seep into the ground and explode under five Heartlesses. Goofy used his shield to round some of their Heartlesses up so that Donald can use his lightning magic to obliterate them. There were only fifteen left. Ke'Ania, Donald, and Goofy took care of three while Sora summoned his fire element. When his fireball was big enough, Sora knew that it was time to attack.

"Get out of the way!" Sora shouted as he ran toward the group.

Ke'Ania, Donald, and Goofy jumped out of the way right when Sora released his fireball. When the smoke cleared, there were no Heartlesses left. "Great job, Sora!" Ke'Ania cheered as she jumped up and down along with Goofy and Donald. Once she stopped jumping, Ke'Ania turned her head to her comrades with a smirk. The fiend looked as if it was ready to drop. **"YUNA!" **Ke'Ania called, catching everyone's attention. **"WHY DON'T YOU SUMMON IFRIT AND SEED THAT FIEND PACKING!"**

Yuna nodded excitedly before summoning her fire elemental aeon. When she hopped off of Ifrit's arm, Yuna moved to stand behind him. "Ifrit, use your Hellfire!" Yuna commanded before Ifrit nodded.

Everyone gasped when Ifrit suddenly jumped into the air and created two large fire energy balls before throwing them at the fiend. When the balls connected with the ground, a large flaming tornado formed and lifted the fiend into the air. Ifrit then opened his mouth and used its energy to make another fireball. The force of the fireball sent him flying back while engulfing the Chocobo Eater inside of the floating fire sphere. After landing back onto the ground, Ifrit dug his claws into the ground before pulling up a large chunk of ground and hurling it into the sphere. When the chunk collided with the sphere, it exploded and released the Chocobo Eater. Pyreflies started to come out of its body before it even hit the ground.

"Thank you." Yuna smiled at her aeon before dismissing him.

Everyone inside of the inn cheered for the group. "Lady Yuna and her guardians. I must thank you for saving my Chocobos and this inn. I'd be out of business if it weren't for you." A blond haired man with caramel colored skin said as he approached the group.

"May I ask who you are?" Yuna asked.

"I am Rin. I own this agency you stayed in. It is a pleasure to have High Summoner Braska's daughter and her guardians save my agency. Please. Take these Chocobos as a thank you."

"Um… Lord Rin?" A blond woman spoke. "We only have five Chocobos as of right now."

"That's ok. We don't mind doubling up. Right everyone?" Yuna said as everyone agreed.

"Since that's settled. Is there anyone who doesn't know how to ride?" Rin asked. Sora, Tidus, Yuna, Ke'Ania, Donald, and Goofy raised their hands. "Ok then. I'll teach you. Please come with me."

…

…

…

It took them a minute, but they finally got the hang of it. Once everyone was comfortable with riding, they chose their partners. Yuna sat in front of Kimahri while the Ronso steered. Lulu rode in front of Wakka as he steered. Tidus road on the back while Auron steered. Sora held onto Ke'Ania while she steered. He never thought that she would have the Chocobo go that fast. Goofy rode behind Donald as the duck tried to steer the large Chocobo. They all strolled through the Mi'ihen Highroad at a steady pace. While on the road they meet a girl with long orange hair. "Lady Yuna?"

"Yes?" Yuna answered as she slid off the Chocobo.

"Oh my. You're very pretty." The girl complimented, making Yuna blush.

"Why thank you, but who are you?"

"Oh forgive me. I am Shelinda. I've been traveling on this road in hopes of stopping the Crusader's operation."

"What operation?" Wakka asked.

"They want to use machina in their fight against Sin. It is wrong and as a devout of Yevon, I saw it as my duty to stop them. But sadly, they do not listen." The girl sighed in depression.

"What does it matter what they use. They still can't defeat Sin that way." Auron said in his usual bored tone.

"You don't get it. It's not about defeating Sin. It about upholding the teachings Yevon has blesses us with." Shelinda scolded. "I just wish people would just listen to me for once."

"You have to keep trying." Yuna said.

"My Lady?"

"You can't give up because people won't listen. You have to keep speaking and make sure that your voice is heard. That is the only way if you ever want to make a difference in the world." Yuna encouraged.

"You really think so?"

Yuna nodded. "Look at me. Everyone would listen to me because of my father, I showed them that I wanted to be recognized for my and not because I am Braska's daughter."

"Thank you, Lady Yuna. I'll keep that in mind next time." Shelinda smiled. "Well, I must be off. I have a difference to make. Have a safe journey." The orange haired girl waved as she ran away.

Ke'Ania moved her Chocobo to stand Next to her friends'. "That was very nice if you Yuna."

…

…

...

They reached the end of the road. "What's down that way?" Ke'Ania asked.

"That's just the old road. There's nothing special down there. It's more of a tourist attraction if you ever wanted to see what road Lord Mi'ihen traveled on all those years ago." Auron said.

"I would like to see it." Yuna said.

Everyone half expected Auron to say that they don't have time to dilly dally. So, imagine their faces when Auron allowed her to.

The old road was nothing special like Auron said, but at the same time they couldn't help but marvel at its charm and natural beauty.

After sight-seeing for a few minutes, the group traveled back to the end of the road.

"I'm sorry, but you have to leave your Chocobos here. They are not allowed any further." Clasko said. Everyone nodded before hopping off. "I must also ask for you to stay here. We are not allowed to let anyone in."

The group turned their heads to see Luzzu and Gatta standing at the entrance with a charge. "Luzzu! Gatta!" Wakka called.

"Yo! Wakka!" Gatta smiled before running up to them. "We saw the game. You three were amazing. When this is over and Sin is obliterated, we should play Blitzball."

"That sounds like a good idea." Tidus smiled.

"You guys stick around. We'll have Sin defeated in no time." Luzzu said.

"What exactly is in those carriages?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Sinspawn collected from all over Spira. We're going to use them to bring Sin to us." Gatta answered.

"What? You're bringing Sin here? Are you crazy? Are you trying to get us all killed?" Wakka yelled.

"We know what we're doing Wakka. Just trust us on this." Luzzu said.

"Fine. Whatever. Go and get yourselves killed. I don't care." Wakka huffed.

"Wakka!"

"It's alright Yuna. I can understand who he's feeling. I don't fault him." Luzzu said before he and Gatta bowed. "Please excuse us."

The group watched them leave before sighing in defeat. "So what now?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Here comes our way in now." Auron said as the group turned to see Maester Seymour accompanied by two Guados.

When Seymour stopped in front of Yuna, both bowed in respect for the other. "It is good to see you again."

"It is an honor to see you too, Your Grace." Yuna shyly said.

"You look troubled? Is there anything you want?" Yuna looked to the ground before looking back at the entrance. "Hold on for a second." Seymour moved to speak to one of the guards before turning back to them. "You may accompany me too the Command Center. Come."

"Thank you again Your Grace." Yuna bowed.

Everyone started to move, leaving Ke'Ania and Yuna behind. "It's time to go, Yuna." Ke'Ania softly said as she tapped her summoner friend's back.

"Did you sense it too?"

Ke'Ania hesitated. "Yeah…"

"Then that means that Maester Seymour..."

"Is the villain." Ke'Ania glared. "Let's go."

…

…

…

The group traveled together, some asking Maester Seymour questions. Ke'Ania and Yuna were the only ones lagging in the group. They silently observed their enemy with curiosity. Ke'Ania wanted to make sure that this was one villain that didn't get away.

"This is the elevator that leads to the Command Center." Seymour announced before turning toward the group. "Ladies first."

When they arrived at the Command Center, the first thing they noticed were machina, Al Bhed, and Crusaders working together. "I don't feel comfortable being here." Wakka grumbled.

"Wakka. I need to talk to you." Luzzu said. "It's about your brother."

"Luzzu, no." Lulu pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but I may not ever get another chance."

Luzzu took Wakka and told him about his brother. In a fit of rage, Wakka sucker punched Luzzu before Tidus had time to stop him. "Stop it Wakka! That's enough!"

"It's your fault my little brudda isn't here. It's your fault Lulu cries over Chappu. It's all your fault." Wakka fell to his knees and cried.

Lulu strolled over to her friend and started messaging his hair while Wakka wrapped his arms around her waist. "It's ok Wakka." Everyone could see that the black mage was trying to hold back her own tears.

"Wakka. Lulu. Yuna. I'm truly sorry. I've had to live with that guilt for the past ten years. This is my way of apologizing. If I can defeat Sin here today, then maybe Chappu will be able to smile while in the Farplane. Good bye." And with that Luzzu turned to leave.

"Luzzu." Wakka called as he stood up but never leaving Lulu's side. "Don't die. I'm not finished beating you up." Wakka smiled softly despite having tears in his eyes.

"You got it." Luzzu smiled back before disappearing on the lift.

Once Luzzu was out of their sights, Wakka turned to hold Lulu close. "I'm sorry, Lu." Lulu was shocked, but still hugged Wakka back.

"Shall we continue?" Auron asked.

…

…

…

"You look like you're in need of supplies." A man with a large bag on his back called to the group. "O'aka XXIII at your service, Mi Lady Yuna."

"Thank you for offering, but we don't need anything right now." Yuna politely rejected.

"Are you sure? I have the best stuff. What about you lads. Anything? I have the best weapons this side of Mushroom Rock Road."

"No thanks. We have our own weapons, but if they break we'll call you." Tidus said as the group walk passed the merchant.

"You be sure to do that."

…

…

…

"It's good to see you Auron. I can't believe it's been ten years since we last saw each other." A man in yellow robes said as he hugged Auron.

"You're still as plump as ever, Kinoc." Auron chuckled as he followed the man away from the group.

"Who was he?" Donald asked.

"That was Wen Kinoc, one of the four Maesters of Yevon. He also commands the Crusaders and the Warrior Monks. He too must also be a part of this operation." Lulu explained.

"You would think that with all of these Maesters here, Yevon organized this whole thing." Wakka grumbled.

"Tell the others that we're ready to proceed." Kinoc ordered to Gatta.

"Hey Gatta." Tidus called. "Don't do anything stupid."

Gatta didn't say anything as he walked off. Ke'Ania just snorted as she folded her arms. "You know he won't listen to you."

"How do you know?" Tidus asked.

"I saw how determined he was to show his prowess in battle. My guess… he might sneak into the front lines. He thinks that people on the front line are recognized more. When actually… they're usually the first ones to die."

"**MAESTER KINOC! THE SINSPAWN GOT OUT!"**

"Let's go take care of it." Tidus said.

"Shouldn't you run _**away**_ from danger?" Auron asked.

"You can run away. But I'm going to stay and fight that thing. Besides… I wanna see how this plan turns out." Tidus said as he drew his sword and ran to face the giant fiend.

"We're going to stand with you too." Yuna smiled as she stood by Tidus's side.

"I guess I have too since I am still your guardian." Auron smirked as Tidus.

"All right. Let's see what this thing's made of." Ke'Ania said before she ran toward the Sinspawn. She used her Keyblades to attack the body. But right when she was about to attack it, it used its arms to protect its body from her attack before smacking her back. Ke'Ania hit the ground hard before rolling a few times.

"Ke'Ania!" Sora yelled as he ran over to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, but I think I broke my left arm." Ke'Ania winched as she tried to move it.

"Yuna! Can you heal Ke'Ania? Her arm's broken!"

"Right away." Yuna said as she ran over to the pair.

"Ok. So we know that we can't attack the body. So what should we do?" Lulu asked as she dodged another lightning bolt.

"The head seems to be shooting out lightning bolts. Take out the head first with either Wakka's ball or Lulu's magic." Auron commanded as he dodged another lightning bolt.

"I wonder what element would work better?" Lulu asked.

"Find out as you go." Wakka grunted as he dodged another lightning bolt before throwing the ball at its head. "Hey look. That head stopped moving."

"Ok, let me try water." Lulu summoned her water element. "Sink or swim." Lulu said as she covered its head with water. The head started moving again. "Well that didn't work."

"_**You need to use fire power." **_

"Maester Seymour?"

"Watch me." Maester Seymour stepped toward the fiend. He gripped his staff tightly before releasing a powerful fire attack on its head. When the smoke cleared, the fiend's head turned blue. "Now it is up to you to take the down the body. Remove its arms first. I'll take care of your friend." Seymour said as he walked over to Ke'Ania and started to heal and mend her broken arm.

"Kimahri and I will take care of the arms. The rest of you will attack the body." Auron said as everyone nodded.

Auron and Kimahri attacked the arms together, successfully removing them. Yuna, Lulu, Sora, and Donald attacked it with their fire attacks while Goofy and Tidus used their weapons to slice its body up. The fiend was close to down for the count.

"_**Let me finish it off."**_ The gang turned to see Ke'Ania standing with her left arm working perfectly.

"Are you ok to finish it off? I mean, didn't you say that you need to fully charge before using your elemental powers?" Lulu asked.

"That's true, but since the power source I received was from a fire type, I can use at least one powerful fire ability. I got this. Just stand back everyone." Ke'Ania smirked. "Hey ugly! It's time to go back to where you came from!" She shouted before clapping her hands together. She had to open her hands the bigger it grew. Soon the ball grew to three times her size. Ke'Ania spun around a few times before releasing the ball into the air. She ran and jumped after it. In the air, she summoned her Keyblades and threw them into the sphere before doing a front flip and knocking it into the fiend. Everyone watched in amazement as the fireball and her Keyblades tore the fiend into pieces.

Ke'Ania's Keyblades disappeared and she felt faint. Her semi-limp body fell until Auron caught her. "I guess I over did it, huh?" She smirked tiredly.

"How much power do you have left?" Sora asked.

Ke'Ania moved to pull down her socks and saw that her black flames were half way up her calves. "I can still use my elemental magic, but it's too dangerous at this point." She grunted as Auron set her on her feet.

"I knew I shouldn't have let you use it." Sora sighed.

"I couldn't let you have all the fun. And pulse I can still fight. I just can't use my magic." Ke'Ania informed.

"Well I hope you can because **SIN'S HERE!**" Donald shouted and he pointed to the large creature emerging from the sea.

"**GET DOWN! SIN'S ABOUT TO ATTACK!"** Auron shouted.

Sin's attack was so devastating that it obliterated most of the Crusaders, Chocobos, and fiends on the beach. The Al Bheds did everything they could to stop Sin, but it wasn't enough. In the in… Sin won. Sin always wins. Humans will never truly defeat Sin. Sin is forever. Sin is the only thing in this world that lasts. Ironic isn't it…?

As its final attack, Sin created a giant explosion, getting rid of any other annoyance in its way. The group were caught in the explosion too. They were thrown back and separated. The only thing they could think about was that they knew this plan was going to fail… why didn't they stop it?


	24. Trying to Heal What Was Lost

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Usual stuff. The Sending the dead.

**Chapter 21: Trying to Heal What Was Lost**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

**The After match of Sin's Attack**

**GROAN**

"_What happened?"_ I asked myself as I propped myself on my elbows with one hand over my face. My head was pounding against my skull. My memory felt like it was being scrambled around. Everything was hazy.

"You ok?" I turned my head to see Tidus laying on his back while looking at me.

"Yeah. What about you?"

"I've been better." Tidus groaned as he held his head too. "What happened?"

"_**Sin happened."**_ We both turned to see Kimahri, Auron, Donald, Goofy and Wakka strolling towards us.

"Sin?" We asked in unison.

"Ya. Sin attacked and then left. Don't you remember?" Wakka asked.

I searched my memory bank to try and find my last memory. _"I do remember fighting that Sinspawn. I remember seeing Sin. I remember Ke'Ania killing the Sinspawn with a giant fireball~"_

My eyes shot open when I noticed that the girls and Donald were missing. "Where are the girls and Donald?" I asked as Wakka helped me up while Auron helped Tidus.

"There they are!" Goofy yelled as he pointed toward the sea.

Yuna and Ke'Ania were performing the Sending while Lulu and Donald helped heal the wounded. Yuna danced gracefully on a makeshift water fountain while Ke'Ania danced stiffly, but delicately, on land. Both girls were surrounded by corpses of all shapes, sizes, and ages. Al Bhed and Humans alike laid sprawled along the ocean and sandy shore. We were a few feet away from the scene, but I could still see the tears in the girls and Donald's eyes. My eyes couldn't stay away from a little brown skinned girl with a red helmet. She looked young. She looked around our age, if not younger.

"She's so young." I whispered.

"Yeah. Those stupid Crusaders! Why would they allow little kids in! What the hell is their problem?" Wakka yelled as he glared at nothing in particular.

"How many people died today do you think?" Tidus asked.

"Too many to count." Goofy sighed.

"He's right. Over 90% of the Crusaders and Al Bhed involved in this 'operation' lost their lives in a pathetic attempt at slaying Sin. It is… very sad to see this many bodies lying at our feet, but this is punishment their punishment for believing in false hope." Auron said.

Tidus sighed as he leaned more onto Auron's side. "Will Ke'Ania and Yuna ever stop dancing?"

"Once Sin is defeated, on one will dance for another decade." Auron replied

"So what do we do now?" I asked.

"We wait until Yuna, Ke'Ania, Lulu, and Donald are finished here. Then we'll move on. No matter what happens… Yuna must complete her pilgrimage. Just like you our must complete your mission in this world."

No one said anything after that. We all knew what Auron said was true. If we stopped at every dead person we saw, then our mission would never get finished. But what fazed me was our role in this whole ordeal. We didn't really take part in the operation; we just fought against Sinspawn. But we knew that this operation was a failure. We might as well have killed everyone here ourselves. The only semi-good news is that it wasn't us that gave these people false hope and led them to their deaths… it was those damn Maesters.

"What's wrong, Tidus?" Wakka asked.

"I just remembered something. I woke up, right when Sin was about to disappear into the water. I walked along the beach until I saw it. And at that moment… something within me snapped. The next thing I remember was swimming after it with all my might. I was frustrated and confused. I didn't know what I was thinking or even doing when I ran after Sin. I guess I was so determined to find it, that I must've ran out of oxygen and passed out."

"That must've been the reason why I had to fish you out of the sea earlier than, huh?" Wakka grinned.

"Did you see anything while you were passed out?" Auron asked.

"Yeah. I saw this place. It was blue and looked like it was made of ice crystals. I saw people running. I think they were the Crusaders and the Al Bhed that died today. I thought I saw Gatta too~"

"You saw Gatta?" Wakka asked after his grin dropped.

"I thought I did, but I wasn't too sure. Everything was kind of hazy." I could feel everyone tense at Tidus's statement. "Have you guys found them? Luzzu and Gatta I mean."

Wakka shook his head. "No. And I've looked everywhere~"

**Groan**

Wakka stopped when we heard a groan. Turning to our right, we saw Luzzu struggling to walk towards us with Gatta in his arms.

"**LUZZU! GATTA!"** Wakka yelled before pushing me into Kimahri's arms and running towards them. We went' too far behind. "Luzzu. Are you guys ok?"

"Gatta… dead… Sin… gone… The operation… didn't work… Why didn't it work…? Why…?" Luzzu struggled to say before he dropped to the ground. Gatta's body rolled out of his hero's arms. Both bodies were still and covered in blood. It was more horrible than having all of the Crusader's and Al Bheds' bodies laying at our feet. I wonder if it had something to do with the fact that we knew them?

Wakka bent down to check their pulses. From the ghostly look on his face, we could tell that they both were dead. Wakka's body started to trembled as he stood p. We were about to ask him if he was ok, but he stopped us by letting out a loud, agonizing scream of grief with clear tears rolling down his cheeks. I turned my head to the group of four away from us. Lulu and Donald were looking at us, but Ke'Ania and Yuna kept on dancing. Something told me that they wanted to stop, but they knew they couldn't. They could only allow more tears to fall.

"Wakka." Lulu called as she and Donald strolled over to us. They looked down and saw Luzzu and Gatta, immediately putting two and two together. Lulu took Wakka in her arms and let him cry it out while Donald did the same to Goofy. "There, there. It's alright, Wakka. It's alright." The long haired raven cooed as she rubbed circles in Wakka's back.

…

…

…

After Lulu and Donald healed us, we waited for the girls to finish dancing. This dance will help everyone reach the Farplane, but it did little to sooth our sorrow. When Ke'Ania and Yuna finally stopped, they ran over to us. Ke'Ania immediately ran into my arms and began to cry as I held her close. She was just saddened by all the people she helped send today. Yuna only cried in Tidus's arms after finding out about Luzzu and Gatta's death. She was nowhere near fine after the Sending, but hearing about two of her friends' death was what sent the summoner over the edge.

…

…

…

We waited by a cliff until Yuna, Maester Seymour, Tidus, and Auron were finished talking. Maester Seymour and his entourage were the first to pass. Ke'Ania and Seymour locked eyes. Even thought she was facing him, I could see that her eyes had turned red and blue. I knew that they were blue from that happened today, but I wonder what the red eye was for. Was she mad at him for today? Or is there another reason she wasn't telling me about?

Yuna was next to arrive. She looked lost and confused. Ke'Ania and she walked away from the group to talk. They weren't out of our sights, but they were out of hearing range. I just shrugged it off and chalked it up to girl stuff. Stuff I'm pretty sure I want nothing to do with.

Auron came next. He didn't say a word, typical.

Tidus was last. When he approached us, Auron and he shared a silent conversation before Tidus walked over to me.

"What did you and Auron talk about?" I asked.

"I'll tell you later." He grumbled.

"Alright everyone! Let's go. Djose Temple is right down this road." Yuna said before she started walking.

I turned my head and saw the setting sun even though it was cloudy. This scenery matched the atmosphere perfectly. Both were depressing to acknowledge.

…

…

…

"Kimahri! Tidus! Ke'Ania! Donald! Sora! Goofy! Hurry up! I can almost see the temple! This is no time to be slacking off now!" She cheered before running to catch up with the rest of the group.

"I can't believe she can still smile after everything that happened today." Tidus said as he laced his fingers behind his head.

Kimahri moved to stand in front of us, causing us to stop. _**"Yuna has to be the light that shines in times of darkness, such as these."**_

"Holy shit! You can talk!" Ke'Ania yelled as she jumped back.

"How long have ya been able to do that?" Goofy asked.

"_**Kimahri has been able to talk this whole time."**_

"Then why haven't you?" I asked.

"_**Kimahri was shy."**_

"If you say so." I shrugged.

Kimahri nodded before continuing. _**"These are dark times. And in dark times Yuna tries hard to cheer people up."**_

"We should help her then." Tidus said.

"_**If we try to help Yuna then Yuna will worry and try harder. We mustn't worry."**_

"What do we do then?" Donald asked.

"_**Do not frown. Be happy."**_

"'Don't worry. Be happy.'? Nice suggestion." Tidus groaned.

"I think there's a song called that." Ke'Ania added with a smile.

"_**Kimahri will try too."**_

"Let us see you smile." Donald asked.

Kimahri crossed his arms before turning his muzzle into a forced smile. _**"Now you smile."**_

We all put on fake smiles, Kimahri nodded in approval before turning to leave. "I think I ound something scarier than Sin." I said.

"What's that?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Kimahri's smile." I laughed.

…

…

…

There weren't any fiends on the road, but there were Crusaders and Al Bhed. They were part of the 10% that survived the operation. They were lucky, but I bet even they wish they were dead. Their lost eyes told me so.

When we finally stopped, it was at a fork in the road. "Where do these two roads lead?" Ke'Ania asked.

"The one on the right leads to Djose Temple. That's where we can rest, Yuna can obtain Ixion, the lightning aeon, and also where Ke'Ania can fully recharge. The road on the left will take us to the Moonflow. There we can catch a Shoopuf and ride it until we reach the road that will take us to Guadosalam." Lulu asked.

"So, we have to take the left road if we want to get to Zanarkand, right?" Tidus asked.

"Yep, but we have to make sure that I pray at every temple before we get there." Yuna smiled.

"Yuna has to prepare her mind and body before attempting the Final Summoning. If she doesn't then she won't obtain the Final Summoning, which means she won't be able to defeat Sin and that everything we did would've been for nothing." Wakka explained.

"Wow. You're job is brutal, Yuna." Tidus commented.

"I'll be fine…. As long as you stay by my side." The summoner smiled.

We started to walk away, but stopped when Auron called. "Hey, new guy with the blond hair."

"What can I do for ya boss?" Tidus said as he laced his fingers behind his head. Auron didn't say anything as he pointed his head toward us.

"We get the picture." Ke'Ania groaned before pushing Donald, Goofy, and me down the road. "Come on you three. Let's let them talk in private."

"They're always having private conversations." Donald huffed.

"Yeah. I wonder what they be talkin about?" Goofy asked with his finger tapping the side of his head.

"If it involved us they probably would've let us stay." I turned to look Ke'Ania in her green eyes. "Right?"

She nodded. "Right."

…

…

…

We walked down the stone pathway that led us to the temple. I couldn't help smiling when I heard Yuna, Ke'Ania, and Goofy laughing at the monkeys while Donald cursed at them for jumping on him.

"Lady Yuna. We are glad to see that you and your companions are well."

"The same goes for you three too, Captain Lucil. Praise be to Yevon." Yuna bowed to Lucil, Emma, Clasko, and their lone Chocobo.

"We escaped with our skins enacted, but the majority of our troops were eliminated." Lucil sighed in defeat.

"This is the only Chocobo that made it out of the hundreds we had." Emma sniffled as she scratched the Chocobo's feathers.

"We can't really be Chocobo Knights with only one Chocobo, huh?" Clasko nervously laughed.

"This is what we deserve for turning our backs on Yevon. Yevon has excommunicated us. Now… we have nowhere to go." Captain Lucil lowered her head in shame.

"Well, if you do ever find a place to go, please be safe in your journey. You will forever be in our prayers." Yuna bowed again.

"Lady Yuna. You are too kind. Even though we betrayed Yevon, you still offer kindness. And for that we are grateful." The three and the Chocobo bowed after Lucil's thanks.

We waved goodbye before continuing on toward the Djose temple. The sky was getting darker.

…

…

…

"Is that the Djose Temple?" Tidus asked.

"Yep." Yuna answered.

"It looks like a pile of rocks to me." I said before gasping when the ground started to shake.

"Why is the ground shaking! Is it an earthquake?" Donald yelled as he, Goofy, Tidus, Ke'Ania and I tried to stay up.

We looked up and saw that whatever rock was covering the temple had been removed and is now floating around the temple with lightning bolts connecting to them. "Awesome" Tidus said in amazement. We were too amazed by the sight to notice that the ground had stopped shaking.

"That is what happens when a summoner is addressing the temple's Fayth." Lulu said.

"So that means that another summoner is in there?" Yuna asked.

"What if Dona is in there?" Tidus grumbled.

"We have to hurry then. I can't lose to her." Yuna said with determination in her voice.

…

…

…

When we walked into the temple, we came face to face with a male summoner and his two male guardians.

"Excuse me, but I need to know. What is your name?" The summoner asked.

"My name Is Yuna. I come from Besaid." Yuna introduced with a prayer bow.

"As I thought. You look like Lord Braska, but I didn't wanna mistake you."

"You knew my father?" Yuna asked.

"Sorry, but no. I've never met him, but I've always wanted to. By the way, I am Isaaru. I too am a summoner. And these are my little brothers. The littlest one is Pacce . The other one is Maroda. They are here to guard me on my pilgrimage." Isaaru explained.

"It's very nice to meet all of you. But I must ask… If you have never met my father than how do you know him so well?"

"I have been following him ever since I was a child. He's been my hero. He was the reason I wanted to become a summoner. He also inspired me to wanna become a High Summoner like he was." Isaaru informed.

"Then I should feel honored, knowing that my father inspired you so much. Will you be staying the night too?" Yuna asked.

"Yes, but I will be staying elsewhere in the temple. You and your guardians have been the only ones who helped with healing and Sending the dead. You ten deserve the rooms and beds more than we do." Isaaru said.

"Thank you for your kindness. I hope you three have a peaceful slumber." Yuna bowed before turning toward us. "Shall we go?"

"Wait. Before you go I would like to say something." Maroda said as he stepped forward. "I heard from those Crusaders that summoners are disappearing during their pilgrimages. At first we thought that the fiends got them, but there's no way they could've gotten most of them so quickly. Be careful."

"We will. Thank you Sir Maroda for your warning." Yuna prayer bowed as Isaaru and his guardians left.

"See ya!" Pacce smiled and waved before leaving.

"Yuna. Are you going to get the aeon now or are you going to wait till tomorrow?" Ke'Ania asked.

"I might as well get it now. That way we can leave after having breakfast tomorrow. Besides, don't you need to heal?"

"Yes, but I can wait till tomorrow. I don't want you to overwhelm yourself. We've done a lot today. Maybe we should rest up first?" Ke'Ania said with her hand on Yuna's shoulder while her purple eyes stared into Yuna's blue and green ones.

"No. I wanna get it now while I have the motivation. I'm afraid that I may not have it tomorrow." Yuna said before moving to walk up the stairs.

"She's determined." I said as I moved to stand next to Ke'Ania.

"Yeah. She has what it takes to defeat Sin. She just has to make sure her emotions are in check before that time comes." Wakka said before walking up the stairs too.

…

…

…

When we stood at the top of the stairs, a door blocked our path. To our right and left were two spheres with lighting sparking around them. I think they were the Djose Spheres.

"Alright. Let's get this trail over with." Tidus grumbled as he and Ke'Ania moved to remove one of the Djose Spheres.

The lightning trail, leading beyond the door, disappeared after the spheres were removed. Once they removed the spheres, both of them moved to insert them into the two holes in the door. When the door opened, the hallway sparked before a line appeared below our feet and lit up a part of the symbol carved into the ground.

On the symbol stood an alter with a Djose Sphere placed in a hole on top of it. "Ok. So what do we do now?" I asked.

"Hm. What if we moved it over there?" Ke'Ania suggested as she pointed to a circle on the ground to our right.

"I'm on it." Wakka said before pushing the alter to where Ke'Ania was pointing to. "Now what?"

"What let's try putting these two spheres into those two holes by the alter." Yuna suggested.

Auron and Lulu did just that. And when the spheres were inserted, a trail of lightning appeared on the wall before shocking the sphere in the alter. The sphere began to glow bright green and the number of little lightning sparks surrounding it doubled.

Ke'Ania moved to pick it up. "Where would this go?"

"How about in the hole by the door?" I suggested.

Ke'Ania moved to place the sphere there. After it was secured in the hole, a glyph appeared on the door before it opened, reviling a room with a bottomless pit of lightning.

"Well… that doesn't look dangerous." Ke'Ania nervously laughed.

"How are we going to get over there?" Lulu asked.

"If I could use my wind element then I could fly over there." Ke'Ania said with a sigh.

"What if I use mine?" Donald asked.

"Do you know how to do it?" Auron asked.

"Of course." The duck said with his chest puffed out before summoning his staff. He pointed the end of it towards the ground and used his wind magic to push off the ground and land safely on the other side. He started looking around the alter before turning around to face us. "I can't reach the sphere!"

"Oh great. Now what do we do?" I groaned.

"We should've sent someone taller." Auron laughed.

"Well excuse me for being so short!" Donald huffed before leaning against the alter. He shrieked when it started to move. When the alter connected with the wall, another trail of lightning lit up before lighting up the iris of the eye looking symbol. "I did it!" He cheered.

"Good job Donald! Now come back!" Ke'Ania said.

We waited for Donald to come back before deciding our next move. "Ok. So we have the iris and the middle thing lit up, but what about the eye and the two things on the side?" I asked.

"Let's take the two spheres out of the wall and put them where we saw the first two spheres." Yuna said before Goofy and Kimahri moved to do so. When they placed the spheres in the holes, the two things on the sides lit up. "Good. Now, if I take this one out…" She smiled as she took out the dark green sphere that we used to open the door to the lighting bottomless pit room. "And put it here. Then we should've solved the trial." When Yuna placed the sphere into the hole, the oval part at the top lit up but nothing else happened.

"I don't understand it. There should've been a platform appearing on the symbol to lift us to the higher part of the temple. What went wrong?" Lulu questioned as she studied the symbol.

"What if we move the alter to over the symbol?" Ke'Ania asked.

"It's worth a shot." Auron commented.

I went to help Donald move the alter when I saw that he was having some trouble. We moved it onto the symbol and stepped back. The alter disappeared before a platform appeared in its place. "We did it! Ok everyone, hop on." Yuna smiled.

"Wait. I think I found something." Ke'Ania said as she stepped in front of a wall.

"What is it?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know." Ke'Ania said as she moved one of her gloved hands to touch the wall. A glyph appeared before the wall opened up. "Well what do ya know. I found the Destruction Sphere." She smirked as she held the purple sphere.

"Good job Ke'Ania." Wakka smiled.

"Can we go now?" Tidus asked.

"Yep. I think that's all we have to do down here." Yuna smiled as we all moved to stand on the platform.

…

…

…

We reached the top of the temple and saw that there was a closed door, five more alters facing the wall and a metal circle at the top of the room. "We have more to do?" Tidus groaned.

"Stop complaining." Auron scolded.

"This is simple." Yuna announced.

"It is?" I asked.

"Yep. All we have to do is push the alters into the walls. Just like Donald did." Yuna smiled before she moved to stand in front of one of the alters.

Ke'Ania, Tidus, Auron, and I moved to stand in front of the other four. On the count of three we pushed the alters into the wall at the same time. Each of the five metal things that look like lightning bolts connected to the wall had lightning sparks flow around them before they surrounded the giant metal circle above the ground. After the circle was lit, a lightning bolt hit the ground and caused a lightning trail to open the door and made another alter appear with two holes on top of it. One had a Djose sphere in it, the other slot was empty.

"Well, I guess we know where this baby goes." Ke'Ania smiled as she placed the sphere in the hole. A purple trail lit up and traveled from the alter to the wall, causing it to look like it exploded.

"We found the treasure!" Yuna cheered as she opened the chest and pulled out a large horn that looked like it belonged on a giant dear or something before placing it into her silk cloth. "Come on. The chamber of the Fayth is just up those stairs.

…

…

…

Yuna entered the chamber while her guardians waited. Kimahri guarded the entrance while everyone took a seat against the wall. No one really talked, which was ok.

"_**Well, well, well, look who's here. What a surprise."**_ They all turned their heads to see that Dona and Barthello entered the room.

"What are you doing here?" Tidus glared.

"I'm here to obtain this temple's aeon. Why else would I be here?" Dona glared back.

While Dona and Tidus were locked in a glaring match, Barthello approached Auron. "I would like to shake your hand." The big man blurted out.

"Barthello! What do you think you are doing? Do not associate yourself with this riffraff." Dona scolded.

"This is Sir Auron, Dona. He's the reason I wanted to become a guardian." Barthello informed before turning back to Auron. "Please Sir Auron… May I shake your hand." Auron laughed before the two shook hands. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."

"How can you call yourself a summoner after insulting Sir Auron like that? You should be ashamed." Lulu smirked as she folded her arms.

"Barthello get over here, you nitwit." Dona growled in embracement.

We didn't say anything after that. It was quiet for a while until the symbol above the chamber door started to light up. I turned to see that Ke'Ania's eyes turned white again as she stood up. I wasn't scared this time. I knew what was happening.

Ke'Ania's body walked until it stood before the chamber's door. A lightning bolt shot out of the symbol and through Ke'Ania's chest. Lightning coursed through her body. It lifted Ke'Ania off the ground and placed her into the bridal position, making her limbs hang loosely at her sides and her shoes and socks disappear like last time. More lightning hit her from the spheres on the wall. We watched as the lightning coursed through every cell in her body, causing more black flames to appear on her legs and disappear under her shorts before completely absorbing into her skin once again. The lightning left her body after reforming her socks and shoes. I moved to stand under her, holding my arms out as she slowly fell into them. She didn't wake up like last time, but her light snores let me know that she was sound asleep.

"_She needs to rest. Especially after helping Yuna with the Sending and everything that happened before Sin killed all those people."_

"That's some young girl. Tell me… who is she?" Dona asked as she approached me and Ke'Ania.

"You can ask her yourself." I replied.

"Never mind. It's not that important." Dona waved off. We turned our heads to the door when Yuna stepped out. Kimahri caught her before she could hit the ground. "You owe much to your father." Yuna lifted her head to stare at Dona. "You have the most guardians heard of in all of history, and now you have Sir Auron too. I've also heard that Maester Seymour is quite fond of you. On top of that, you are one o the most famous summoners around. Tell… How does it feel to get all of this because of who your father was?"

"My father has nothing to do with most of this. I am different from my father. Along with my pilgrimage, I want to make a name for myself. I no longer want to be known as 'The Daughter of Braska'. I want to be known as 'High Summoner Yuna, the woman who defeated Sin'. Nothing more, nothing less." Yuna informed with slight anger in her voice.

At Yuna's words, Dona just shrugged. "Have it your way, but let me tell you this Summoner Yuna." Dona moved to stand in front of Yuna, who was being held in the bridal position by Kimahri. "Your guardians won't always be there to protect you. Make sure that you'll be able to stand on your own two legs when that time comes." And with that, Dona entered the chamber, leaving Barthello behind.

"Who does she think she is?" Wakka grumbled as his clenched fists shook with anger. "Don't listen to what she has to say, Yuna." We turned our heads to see that Yuna had fainted in Kimahri's arms. "Yuna!"

"She's just tired. Come on. Let's put them down to rest before resting up ourselves." Auron suggested as he turned to walk out o the chamber.

…

…

…

We waited until the Ke'Ania and Yuna woke up before deciding to eat. By time they woke up, it was noon.

"Good morning everyone." Ke'Ania yawned.

We turned our heads to the two girls and started to laugh hysterically. "What's so funny?" Yuna pouted.

"It must be a bad day for Yevon to have one of its summoners wake up with bed hair." Wakka laughed.

The two girls wore confusing faces before they turned to each other. Realizing what we were laughing at, they started to laugh too. Ke'Ania's hair spiked out like mine while Yuna's looked more like Tidus's.

"Can we get some brushes here?" Ke'Ania laughed.

One of the priests brought two brushes for the girls' hair. Lulu brushed Yuna's while Ke'Ania fixed her own. When they were done, we ate a delicious breakfast before heading out.

"Hey Yuna. Are you going to show us Ixion's summoning now?" Tidus asked.

"No. I think it will be better if I wait. I don't think the aeons like being summon with no purpose." She smiled.

…

…

…

We met some of the Crusaders who were just leaving the temple. Most of them had already left I guess. Yuna offered her prayers to everyone of them as we continued to walk.

"Up already Lady Yuna? Shouldn't you and your guardians be resting? You ten have been through a lot since yesterday." Lucil said while she bowed.

"We've rested enough and are ready to continue forward." Yuna smiled as she did the same. "Are you leaving too?"

"Yes. We're going to cross the Moonflow so that we can rally more Chocobos." Lucil informed.

"Once we have replenished our supply, the Chocobo Knights will ride again." Emma cheered.

"Hey. Aren't you missing someone?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah. Where's Clasko?" I asked.

"**HEY! WAIT FOR ME!"** Clasko yelled as he came running towards us.

"What kept you?"

"Have you ever tried to keep up with a Chocobo? It's hard. Those things are fast." Clasko panted with his hands on his knees.

"Stop complaining because you're out of shape." Emma scolded with her hands on her hips.

"Well it's time for us to leave." Lucil announced before mounting her Chocobo. "We wish you the best of luck Lady Yuna. Let's go Emma and Clasko."

"Yes ma'am." Emma saluted as Lucil turned to leave.

"Can't I rest for a second?" Clasko groaned.

"Think of it this way. This will help you build up some muscle and get you back in shape." Emma said before they ran after their captain.

"No that is leadership at its finest work." Auron commented as Kimahri nodded.

"Onward to the Moon Flow." Lulu commanded.

…

…

…

Along the Moonflow we fought our fair share of fiends. Lulu, Ke'Ania, Donald, and Yuna took care of the elemental fiends. Tidus, Goofy, and I took care of the reptile fiends and the wolves. Auron and Kimahri took care of the hard shelled fiends while Wakka finished off the flying fiends with his ball. We had a successful routine that got us through the road. It even worked when we had to fight another Ochu. We made it further down the road and encountered a familiar face.

"_**It's good to see you again Lady Yuna."**_ Belgemine prayer bowed.

"You too." Yuna said as she did the same.

"So there's a rumor going around saying that you took part in Operation Mi'ihen. I had hoped that you have learned that machina isn't the answer. Only summoners have the power to defeat Sin."

"I can see that now. Knowing this, I now know that I must train harder if I want to defeat my ultimate opponent." Yuna said.

"That's the spirit. And if you want I can help train you. Judging from your direction, I'd say that you've already been to the Djose Temple. Let me test your skill between you and your new aeon." Belgemine challenged.

"I accept your challenge, but I do not want you to hold anything back. I want you to really test my readiness."

"You are the most determined summoner I have ever met. Fine. Let us begin." As the two moved onto the road, they made sure to put enough distance between each other. Belgemine went first and summoned her Valfore. "Show me what you and Ixion are made of."

Yuna nodded before readying herself to summon her lightning aeon. She brought her staff to her chest and concentrated. While she did that, four lightning bolts circled around her before finally combining with each other at the top of her raised staff. Yuna then turned her staff and body to face her opponent. A lightning ball was thrown from her staff and opened a vortex in the sky. The wind whirled around us while lightning moved around the surface off the hole. The Djose Temple's sigh appeared in front of the vortex before a long golden horn inched out of the hole. A trail of lightning ran from the vortex to the golden part of her staff. Yuna took a step back before swinging her, causing Ixion to jump out of the vortex and land next to Yuna before giving a loud neigh.

Ixion stood at least two feet taller than Yuna. He had a long golden decretive horn, just like the one Yuna collected in the temple. His fur was gray and dirty snow white. He also wore a golden necklace type ornament around his neck.

"My name is Yuna. Nice to meet you, Ixion." Yuna smiled as she rubbed his mane.

"So you can summon your aeon, but can you fight with him. Valfore use your Sonic Wings!" Belgemine commanded.

"Get out of the way Ixion!" Yuna yelled. Valfore attacked, but Ixion as able to get out of the way in time. "Use Aerospark!" Yuna commanded.

Ixion lowered his head as lightning power gathered at the tip of his horn. When his power was just right, Ixion swung his horn, causing two round lightning circles to form before slicing through Valfore. It weakened the female aeon.

"Use water on Ixion, Valfore."

Valfore nodded before waving her wings, causing water to drench Ixion. It weakened him, but not by a lot. "Ixion, end this. Use Thor's Hammer!" Yuna commanded.

With a nod, Ixion Stomped his hooves on the ground before lowering his head and summoning more power to his horn tip. A giant lightning ball formed at the tip before letting a trail of lightning connected with Valfore's body. With his lightning trail, Ixion was able to lift Valfore higher into the air before releasing a powerful lightning surge onto his opponent. A big explosion occurred and out of the dust, we could see Valfore's already disappearing body fall to the ground.

"Stop. That is enough. You win." Belgemine announced.

Yuna bowed to her fellow summoner before turning to Ixion. "You did nicely. I will be calling on you later. Thank you for helping me out today." The summoner smiled before watching her aeon jump into the sky and disappears from our sights.

"You have improved since the last time we fought. You have bested me both time, but I can see that you have truly improved and for that I am glad. Here. I offer you a prize."

"You don't need to do that. Winning is enough for me." Yuna said.

"You are too modest. But you'll be needing this more than me." Belgemine smiled as she handed Yuna a silver ring. "This ring is known as 'Summoner's Soul'. It give your aeons the ability to learn and magic ability you learn throughout your journey. Good luck Lady Yuna. Do not let anyone discourage you from your goal. It's summoners like you who have the power to defeat Sin." And with that, Belgemine strolled past us in the opposite direction of where we're headed.

"She's strong." Wakka commented.

"Yeah. She's the perfect trainer for Yuna." Lulu added.

…

…

…

"_**Look who it is Biran."**_ A tall, blue, and lean Ronso said.

"_**Why it's little Kimahri, Yenke."**_ A tall, well muscled Ronso with blond fur spoke as they stopped in front of us.

"_**Have you come to insult Kimahri?"**_ Our Ronso growled.

"_**No. We've come to warn little Kimahri." **_Yenke said with one of his hands on his hips.

"_**Summoners go on pilgrimage, but are kidnapped. From what Yenke and Biran have heard, no summoner has returned. Their guardians run around like chicken with no head. It make Yenke and Biran laugh." **_Biran laughed with Yenke laughing at his side. _**"With all the summoners disappearing Yenke and Biran believe that Kimahri's summoner will be next."**_

"_**Poor Kimahri. First lose horn, next lose summoner. Kimahri fail as guardian and summoner."**_ Yenke laughed with Biran before running off.

"Who are those jerks?" Ke'Ania sneered with her arms crossed.

"_**Yenke and Biran. The toughest Ronso on Mt. Gagazet. Kimahri and Tidus ran into them before Yuna disappeared in Luca."**_ Kimahri answered.

"So… Do those two have something against you? Or were they just assholes?" Tidus asked.

"_**This is Kimahri's problem. Kimahri will deal with it alone."**_

"But why can't we help?" I asked.

"We can't interfere with Ronso problems. It's a rule that all Ronso must abide by." Wakka explained.

"I'm worried about these disappearances of summoners." Lulu commented.

"You're right. They're not just disappearing out of thin air. I wonder who are behind this whole thing?" Auron questioned.

"It doesn't matter. All we have to do is guard Yuna with everything we have. If we do that, then there's no need to worry, right." Tidus cheered.

"Right!" We all agreed.

"Thank you, Tidus." Yuna smiled as she stepped closer to him.

…

…

…

We walked through the woods before coming to a lake with Pyreflies, green pads, and purple flowers. It was beautiful to say the least. Ke'Ania, Tidus, Donald, Goofy, and I ran to the edge to get a better look at the lake.

"This is the Moon Flow." Lulu introduced.

"The purple flowers floating on the water as called Moon Lilies." Yuna smiled as she bent down to pick one up. "They say that clouds of Pyreflies gather here at night and make the lake glow like a sea of stars."

"That sounds so beautiful." Ke'Ania said in a dreamy voice.

"Hey! We should~"

"_**We're not staying here till nightfall."**_ Auron interrupted Tidus.

"Then why don't we just come back. You know after we defeat Sin. That way everyone can enjoy this scenery without the fear of Sin coming."

"That's a great idea Donald." Goofy cheered.

"Agreed!" Tidus, Ke'Ania and I cheered.

No one said anything. We just enjoyed the scenery. Yuna and Tidus were sitting together. Auron and Kimahri were standing next to each other. Wakka was by Lulu. Donald and Goofy were standing together. And Ke'Ania was right next to me smiling at everything. It was perfect, except Yuna. I looked down and noticed that she had a distant gaze on her face. I wonder why.

"Hey look. Our ride's here!" Wakka announced.

"Whoa! What the hell is that?" Ke'Ania smiled as she ran closer to see the giant elephant looking creature with a long nose, almost like a Humming Bird, and a carrier on its back.

"That's a Shoopuf. That is what we're going to use to cross the lake. We betta hurry or we'll miss it. I'll race ya!" Wakka smiled before running off with Tidus, Yuna, Donald, Goofy, and me behind him.

…

…

…

We boarded the Shoopuf and waited for the driver. Wakka told us that the driver was a Hypello, short blue creature with big eyes and funny accents. About five minutes later the Hypello driver hopped on the front and began driving the large creature.

"Hey guys. Take a look." Wakka said as he jerked his head to the water. We each got up and looked down only to see that a sunken city was beneath us. "That's an old machina city. A thousand years old."

"How did it get under water?" Ke'Ania asked.

"People built it on top of bridges that were on top of the water. But soon, the weight of the city caused the bridges to collapses and it sank to the bottom." Lulu in informed.

"That's a valuable lesson to learn." Wakka nodded.

"How?" Goofy asked.

"Those goofballs thought that they could defy the Laws of Nature. Well Mother Nature showed them. Another lesson learned is that when people have too much power, they need to be stopped or else they'll go too far, ya." Wakka explained. "That's how the last war started."

"What war?" Donald asked.

"More than a thousand years ago, man-kind waged war and used machina to kill one another. AS the war progressed, they kept building more and more dangerous machina. People feared that if this war kept going on, then Spira would be decimated. But despite people's pleas, the war didn't stop." Yuna explained.

"So how did the war stop?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Sin came and destroyed the cities and their machina. The war finally ended, but Sin was our reward. Sin was born because we couldn't control the power that was given to us. It's our punishment for our human nature." Lulu explained.

"Damn those Al Bhed screwing everything up for everyone." Wakka growled in frustration.

"What's that?" Ke'Ania yelled as she gripped the sides.

"Yuna!" Tidus yelled as an Al Bhed snatched Yuna and dragged her down.

"Here!" Ke'Ania said as she used her water and lightning elements on use. "Now go and get her!"

"What about you?" I asked.

"I'll stay here and fight off any other Al Bhed that comes up here." She smiled.

Wakka, Tidus, and I jumped into the water.

…

…

…

Down below, Yuna was standing in a glass sphere on top of a machina. "The easiest thing to do is attack it since we can't use magic." Wakka suggested.

Tidus and I nodded before attacking it. Wakka used his ball to attack it from far away while Tidus and I got up close and personal with it. After a few hits from each of us, the machina opened its sides and released four missiles. We managed to dodge them, but two of them came back and hit Tidus and me.

"You two ok?" Wakka asked.

"Yeah. But we'll be sore in the morning." I groaned as I rubbed my head.

We went back to attacking it before it moved to float above us. "What's it doing?" Tidus asked.

"I think it's getting ready to attack!" I said.

"Well I don't wanna sit around and wait for it to." Wakka said before he started throwing his ball. Tidus and I moved to attack its rotating fins. I moved back just a little bit before throwing my Keyblade at it. The lightning from my Keyblade shocked it, causing it to lower back down. "You did it Sora! Now let's finish it off!" Wakka cheered.

"Allow me." Tidus smirked as he raised his sword. Energy moved from his body and into the sword before he swung it across his body, causing the energy beams to shot out and hit the machina. The machina exploded and official shut off. "Mission accomplished!"

"Right. Now, let's get Yuna out of there before it explodes." I said before we swam over to it. I could clearly see it short circuiting from all the damage we did to it.

"Hold your breath, ok?" Tidus told Yuna. The girl nodded and sucked in a deep breath.

Tidus used his sword to cut the top off before placing his sword back behind him, pulling Yuna out, and carrying her in his arms to the surface. But right before we got to the surface, I thought I caught a glimpse of someone escaping from the machina.

…

…

…

"They did it!" Ke'Ania cheered as she saw us come up from the water.

"Yous needs a liftssss?" The driver asked.

"Yes. Please." Yuna smiled.

The Shoopuf used its nose to lift us out of the water and back into the carrier. "Here. Let's get you dried off." Ke'Ania smiled as she used her fire element to dry our hair and clothes.

"Are you ok, Yuna?" Lulu asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks to these guys." The summoner smiled.

"Damn those Al Bhed. What do they want from us? Why are they after Yuna? Damnit! I wish I knew!" The orange haired man groaned in frustration.

"Do you think that they're behind all the kidnappings of the summoners?" Lulu asked.

"Damn them if they are! Those sand blasted grease monkeys!" Wakka growled.

"Hey Wakka. Let it go. There's nothing we can do about them kidnapping summoners. All we need to make sure of Yuna's safety, right?" Tidus said.

"Yeah well… Ok." The orange hair man calmed down after that. Across the way I could see Yuna mouth the words 'Thank you.".

…

…

…

When we finally arrived on the other side of the Moonflow, Yuna was surrounded by a crowd of people. They were asking her question after question about everything. She looked like she would be busy for a while so Tidus, Donald, Goofy, and I decided to take a stroll along the Moonflow's bank.

When we got to the end of the road, we found someone lying on the ground with half their body in the water. "Who's that?" I asked.

"I don't know." Tidus said as he got closer. But right when he was about to touch it, the person moved to stand with some trouble. "You ok?" Tidus asked before getting a good look at the girl. "Hey I know you. You're Rikku."

"Oh, so you were the one who beat me up just a few minutes ago." The girl glared through her goggles.

"That was you in the machina? So I was right. I knew I saw someone coming out of that machina. Sorry we did that, but we had to save Yuna." I apologized.

"Yeah. Yeah. Yeah." The girl huffed.

"So um… where have you been?" Tidus asked.

"Around. Here and there. Doing this and that and what not." Rikku answered.

"Well is there anything you need?" Tidus asked.

"I _**need**_ to get out of these clothes!" The girl sighed before she started unclamping and unhooking straps and everything before finally sliding down her jumpsuit and removing her helmet. "Ahhh much better. For a second there, I thought I was done for."

"_**Who's this girl?"**_ I heard an angry Ke'Ania growl from behind us.

"This is my friend Rikku. She was the one who helped me when I first came to Spira. I told you guys about her remember." Tidus introduced.

"Please to meet you!" Rikku cheered.

"So you owe her your lie huh? What great luck meeting here, ya? Praise be to Yevon." Wakka prayer bowed in front of the blond female.

"Rikku, Lulu, Ke'Ania. There's something we need to talk about." Yuna requested.

"What about us?"

"Sorry Wakka, but we'll be done in a minute. Let's just say it involves only us girls." Lulu said before the girls moved out of ear shot.

We sat around and wait for the girls to finish. When they finally did, they approached Auron. "Sir Auron. I want Rikku as my guardian. Is that alright?" Yuna asked.

"Let me see your eyes." Auron ordered. Rikku looked shy, but eventually she opened one. "That's what I thought."

"So can I. Pretty please?" Rikku begged.

"Only if Yuna wishes it."

"I do." Yuna smiled while Rikku did a little happy dance.

"Well I'm game. The more the merrier. I always say." Wakka smiled.

We all agree. "So where too?" Riku asked.

"We're headed to Guadosalam now. We wanna make it by five o'clock." Lulu answered.

"Then let's go! Last one there is a rotten eye!" The girl cheered.

"Riku!" I called to her, causing only her to stop. Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy, Tidus, and I were the only ones who stayed back to talk to her. "You said that you were in that machina right? So that means you helped kidnapped Yuna right?" I asked. She slowly nodded to each question. "But why? Why would the Al Bhed wanna kidnap the summoners?"

She looked at the water of the Moonflow and refused to face us. "I can't say why. It'll jeopardize everything." And with that, she turned and walked away from us to catch up with the others.

...

…

…

**Author's Note:**

Thanks to everyone who is reading this story in secret or whatever. And if any of you guys are interested, I have link on my profile that will give you guys an idea of what Ke'Ania looks like. Now this is just a quick sketch but it's not too far off from the real thing. I might go back and redo the drawing, but it won't be up for a while. But again that's only if you guys are interested.

Remember to review… Love ya guys.


	25. Seymour's Proposal

**Warnings for This Chapter: **The usual.

**Chapter 22: Seymour's Proposal**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

"Whatchya thinkin about?" Sora asked.

"Stuff." I shrugged.

"Stuff like what Riku said?" I nodded as he laced his fingers behind his head. "Yeah. What she said has been bothering me too. I wonder what she meant by 'It will jeopardize everything.'?"

"It's the same as when Donald told us not to interfere with the other worlds' affairs. Whatever her people are doing must be important. I think it would be best we leave it alone until she either tells us or until it unfolds in front of us." I sighed as I continued walking with my arms crossed.

"How can you be sure that will happen?"

I didn't stop at his question. It didn't catch me off guard and I knew the answer. I threw a smirk over my shoulder. "Because it always does."

…

…

…

The road was nice, quiet, and calm. The only sounds were our laughter and the birds tweeting. It's times like this I sit back and enjoy the world around me. There weren't any fiends on the road and everyone acted as if they didn't have a care in the world. Even Auron was laughing. No one has to worry about fighting. No one has to show fear. Everyone is enjoying each other's company. I looked over at my group of friends, new and old. Sora's smile was bright and alive. I could see how much he cherished everyone through it. He looked so handsome. He makes my heart flutter with every action. People like Sora only come around once in a lifetime. To be able to be stand back and appreciate all of this is an honor. Everything was perfect. These are the days are the days I wish I had back. My whole life, I've wanted nothing but adventure. Now that I got… I would gladly give it back if it meant I can go back to the days I had before the Darkness ruined everything.

"Whatchya thinking about now?" Sora asked as he slowed to my pace.

"Nothing, Sora." I smiled as I laced my fingers behind my back. "Nothing at all."

"Well stop spacing out. We're here now."

"We are?" I looked around and saw that there was a green trail with large roots growing over it in front of us. "So we are."

"Come on. Guadosalam is just down this road." Yuna smiled.

…

…

…

"_**Ah. Lady Yuna and her guardians. We've been expecting you?"**_ A tall man with twisted pale green hair.

"Who are you?" Wakka asked.

"Oh. Please forgive my rudeness. My name is Tromell Guado. I am one of Lord Seymour's loyal servants. I was asked by Maester Seymour to escort Lady Yuna and her guardians to his manor when you arrived. I'm glad to see that you lot were able to make it here safely." Tromell said.

"What does Maester Seymour want with Yuna?" Lulu asked.

"I'm not to entirely sure. All he said was that he had important business he had to discuss with the Lady Yuna."

"I wonder what Maester Seymour wants to discuss with me?" Yuna pondered.

"Let's go to his manor and find out." Tidus said.

We nodded before following Tromell to Seymour's manor. It wasn't far; in fact it was one of the first things you saw when you first walk into this small village like place. You'd have you be blind not to notice the giant red door underneath a wooden arch.

"This is Lord Seymour's manor." Tromell said before pushing the double door open. When we entered, the first few things I noticed was that there were two sets of staircases leading to a hallway of some sorts and four pictures lining the two walls along the staircase. From what I could see, they were pictures of past Guado that probably used to live here. "These stairs lead to Maester Seymour's chambers, but he is waiting for you in the living area."

Sora moved to walk up the staircase on the left. He stopped to observe each picture with a confused face. "Are these all the same guy?"

"No. To humans, we Guado may look the same, but have many differences. The same goes for you humans. You all look the same to us, but you each have many differences that separates your race." Tromell smiled before moving to stand next to Sora. We followed. "These are the past leaders of the Guado. Every time we get a new leader, we hang their portrait along this wall for all who enter to see."

Tidus and Wakka walked to the right staircase to stare at the other pictures. "Hey, get a load of this." Wakka called. We all went over to stand next to them and stare at the last two portraits. One was Seymour. The one before him was a man who looked a lot like him. He was also the last portrait hanging her that looked like the others.

"You are looking at Lord Seymour and Lord Jyscal's portraits." Tromell said.

"How come Maester Seymour doesn't look like the rest of the Guado?" Wakka asked.

"You don't know? Maester Seymour is the product of a human and a Guado. Lord Jyscal fell in love with a human woman many years ago. They later married and consummated. The result was Maester Seymour. We Guado were astounded at first. We were the race who usually stuck to our own, but after much convincing and speaking from Lord Jyscal we soon accepted Maester Seymour and his mother."

After hearing Seymour's story I became envious. Something in my bones told me that this man was evil and yet he's surrounded by people who accepted him. I've done nothing and yet people considered me an outcast. It's not fair, but then again neither is life. I know that lesson first hand.

"Please follow me. We shouldn't keep Lord Seymour waiting any longer." Tromell said as he walked down the stairs and through another double door. We weren't too far behind.

…

…

…

"Please wait here while I retrieve Maester Seymour." Tromell said before leaving through one of the two doors at the end of the room.

"Whoa. Is that food for us?" Riku asked with excitement in her voice.

"I'm guessing so. Seymour did say he wanted to discuss business with Yuna. Maybe he wanted to do it over dinner." I shrugged before moving to grab a small bowl of strawberries and popping one into my mouth. "These are delicious." I smiled.

Everyone came over to the table and started to eat. We ate and laughed a little bit, before Tromell walked back into the room.

"I hope you like the food we've step out?"

"It's very good." Yuna smiled.

"I'm delighted to hear that. I'm also delighted to have you eleven here. It's been so long since we've had guest. Every since Lord Jyscal passed, this manor has been so empty. Especially, since Maester Seymour is always gone. He works so hard in his work. As a Maester, Lord Seymour has made it his goal in life to unite the humans and the Guado."

"Do you believe that he will succeed?" Auron asked.

"Of course I do. Ever since I first laid eyes on Lord Seymour, when he was in his infant years, I could tell that he was going to be the tie that binds the two races together."

"_**Enough, Tromell."**_ Seymour smirked as he appeared from behind the door on the left. "I don't want you boring our guests with continuous praise for me."

"Forgive me, Lord Seymour, but when you have such a wonderful person as your lord many praises are necessary." Tromell replied.

Seymour merely shrugged before turning his attention toward Yuna. "I'm glad to see that you and your guardians have made it here without problems. Please, sit down and enjoy the food. There's no need to jump right into business."

"Yuna has business of her own. We don't have time to sit around and play tea party." Auron glared through his glasses.

"You are right. Forgive me. This way, please." Seymour moved his hand toward the door, motioning for us to step through it.

I stopped by Yuna and saw how nervous she was. She was thinking what everyone was thinking too. What did Seymour want to talk to us about? I placed my hand on her shoulder and offered a smile. It seemed to calm her down a little bit. She took a deep breath before turning her head back to me and smiling. When she was clam enough we stepped through the door together.

…

…

…

A virtual space formed around us as we continued to step through the room. It felt weird having balls of energy pass through my body. There were stars, planets, and moons far as the eye could see. Underneath my tennis shoes I could feel the floor of the room, but the scenery around me made me feel like I was actually flying through space. When we traveled in our Gummi Ship, we saw stars, we saw moons, but what I was seeing now was way more beautiful then what we saw on an almost day to day basis. Everyone around me was amazed at the beauty that engulfed the room. I heard Seymour's steps grow louder as he stepped close to us. Shivers run up and down our spine the closer he got.

"This is a sphere, constructed from the memories of the people who lived in Zanarkand one thousand years ago." Seymour started to explain as the sphere transformed to show a large city below us. Everything moved at a fast pace as the room took us through the city and above it. Everything seemed so real… even the sounds seemed real. "The great machina city that strived and prosper like no city had before. _** SHE**_ once lived in this wondrous city."

"She who?" Yuna asked as she turned to stare Seymour in the eye. I was also curious, so I turned to look at him too. He didn't answer right away. He just smirked.

…

…

…

"Lady Yunalesca?" Yuna gasped at a pale skinned woman with long silver hair sitting on a bed.

"Yes. The woman you see before you is Lady Yunalesca. She was the very first person who defeated Sin. But, she didn't do it alone. Thanks you her unbreakable bond of love with her husband, Lord Zaon, she was able to call forth and defeat the undefeatable Sin." Seymour bowed at the allusion figure before him. "You should feel honored for having inheriting her name."

"I did not inherit her name. My father was the one who named me." Yuna replied.

"That maybe true, but by naming you after her, he entrusted you with an important task. He wanted you to face and defeat Sin, just like she had. He knew you had the talent. But, you need the support and that bound… just like Yunalesca and Lord Zaon had."

My brown eyes shifted from Yuna to Seymour. I had a feeling that he was applying something. I think Yuna knew, because whatever he was implying was making her blush pink. We all turned our head when we heard metal clank as it hit the ground. Lord Zaon strolled in, causing Lady Yunalesca to run into his arms. We watched as they hugged each other before the entire scene disappeared. The lights were on, allowing us to see the actual room. It was plain with a few wine bottles here and there, nothing too fancy, if you don't count the white statue of a woman on the wall. Yuna's gasps caught my attention. I turned my brown eyes towards the two. Yuna's face was bright red while Seymour wore a smirk.

"_I wonder what could've happened?"_

…

…

…

After exiting the room, Yuna started acting weird. Her breathing was rigid and her body trembled. When she saw a glass of water, she rushed right for it and gulped it down.

"You ok, Yuna?" Tidus asked.

When she hesitated, I stepped in front of the group. "What did Seymour say to you?"

She hesitated again before taking a deep breath and answering. "Maester Seymour… just proposed to me." She stuttered.

"You serious?" Wakka gasped.

"Spira is no playhouse. Just because you give them a moment of peace, doesn't mean you can hide their suffering." Auron glared.

"I understand that. I asked for her hand in marriage as support when it comes time to for her to fight Sin." Seymour answered.

"Just like Lady Yunalesca and Lord Zaon." Auron inserted.

Seymour turned and walked toward Yuna. "You do not need to make a decision now. Please think it over."

"She will. Yuna… Let's go." Auron ordered as he moved toward the door.

"Where are we going now, Yunie?" Riku asked.

"I need to go to the Farplane. I need to talk to my parents before making my decision."

…

…

…

We walked over a high bridge before entering a hallway. At the end of the hall was a tall staircase leading to the Farplane.

"Up ahead is the Farplane." Lulu said

Yuna stepped in front of the group. "Let's go." She commanded.

I was about to walk up the stairs, but stopped when I heard Tidus sigh.

"What's your damage?" I asked with my hands on my hips.

"What does Yuna have to think about? She can't seriously be considering Seymour's offer, can she?" Tidus huffed as he crossed his arms.

"Ohhhh. Someone sounds jealous." Rikku teased with a smirk.

"Am not! I just don't see why Yuna would take a break from her pilgrimage to get married, especially to _**Seymour**_." He glared at nothing in particular.

"You have to remember that Yuna is supposed to be an important figure." Auron commented as he leaned on the sides that followed the steps. "It's her job to bring peace and happiness to the people of Spira. If she gets married then it'll give the people something cheery to talk about for a while. It's a distraction. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Is that what you were talking about?" Tidus asked.

Auron didn't say anything. He just turned his head and waved us off. "You three better catch up."

"He's right. Come on." I sighed before turning to walk up the stairs.

"Tell Yunie I said sorry." Rikku smiled.

"You're not coming Riku?" Tidus asked.

"Sorry, but I don't like the memories that the Pyreflies create. When you go to the Farplane, you think of the people who've died and the Pyreflies react by forming an allusion of the people you think of when they died. I've been there once and didn't like it. Memories are nice, but that's all they are."

"But~"

"It's ok Riku." I moved to place my hand on her shoulder with a smile and green eyes. "You don't have to go. No one's forcing you."

"Thank you." She nodded before slowly removing my hand and moving to sit on the stair's side.

"But~"

"Let's go Tidus. Yuna is waiting for us." I said as I pushed the older boy up the stairs.

We passed through the rainbow force field and moved onto the Farplane, never looking back at the two we left behind.

…

…

…

We stood on a platform as clouds, flowers of different colors, Pyreflies, a moon, and waterfalls passed by us. It felt like we were floating. That seemed to be a common theme in this world. You always get the sense of floating.

Wakka was talking to Chappu, Lulu was watching them, Kimahri was standing guard at the entrance, Donald and Goofy were sitting down and talking to each other, and Tidus and Yuna were talking with Yuna's parents and Tidus's mom in front of them. Strange. Wonder where his Dad is?

"Staring off into space again?" Sora teased with a smile. He sat on the edge with his feet hanging off the side.

I walked over to join him. "You always seem to pull me out of my thoughts." I smirked.

"If you would stop thinking so much then maybe I wouldn't." I nodded with a small smile. "So what were you thinking about now? Nothing again?"

"Yeah. You know it's strange. Lately I've been thinking a lot. But I can't really remember what I'm thinking about." I confessed.

"Is it about Raven and Saedi?"

"No. That's what else is weird. I haven't even been thinking about them. It's kind of la good thing, ya know."

"How?" Sora asked as he turned his head towards me.

"If I'm not worrying about them, then I can focus more on my job here. I mean, we've been here for almost a month and I still haven't been able to sense the princess or the villain. I need to focus more on my destiny than my friends."

"So what? You're just going to give up on them?"

"No. I just think that this whole adventure thing that we were sent on is controlled by destiny. Maybe I should stop trying to stray from destiny's path and start walking it straight. Who knows. Maybe, while I'm trying to walk that straight path, I'll end up finding them along with Riku and Kairi. It may not be soundproof, but at least I'm not giving up." I smiled.

"That's… a positive thought." I noticed that Sora was looking over at Yuna and Tidus. "Do you think that Yuna will accept Seymour's proposal?"

"I don't know. She might." I shrugged.

"But why? I bet she doesn't even love the guy."

"It has to do with her priorities. Yuna is the kind of person who puts other's needs before her own. If marring Seymour meant bringing happiness to Spira, even if it's for a moment, then Yuna would do it without batting an eyelash." I explained.

"But, why doesn't she just worry about that stuff after she defeats Sin? I mean, isn't the fact that she's going to bring Spira the calm all the happiness she needs to bring to these people?" Sora asked.

"She probably thinks that this wedding would be a good distraction. Anything could happen on this pilgrimage, especially considering who Yuna is. She probably knows this and is going to use the wedding as a quick distraction before she defeats Sin. She might not know when she's going to face Sin."

"So what? She can predict the future now?" Sora questioned.

"No, but she probably took that factor into consideration. Oh well." I grunted as I got up. "It's not our decision to make. All we can do is protect her along the way."

"Yeah. I guess so." Sora sighed as he got up too. We stayed quiet for a minute before Sora got a thought. "What if Saedi and Raven were here?"

"They aren't. I would've sensed them." I answered.

"But you just said it yourself. You've been too distracted by them. What if it's because they're here?" I took what Sora was saying into consideration. "Try picturing them. If they show up, then that means they're here. Go on try it." I didn't have to think too hard. When I looked up… there was nothing in front of me. "See. Now don't you feel better?"

"Why would I?"

"Because, if they were here then they would've been in this world and they would've been dead. Ya get it?"

I smiled lightly. "Yeah I get it." The logic Sora spat out actually made sense. Had Saedi and Raven showed up here, then they would've been dead. At least now I know that they aren't here and that they're hopefully alive. "Thank you, Sora. You've just made it easier for me to get over thinking about them." My smile widen as I spoke.

"Anything to make our job as easy as possible." He grinned.

"You guys ready?" Yuna smiled.

"Yep." Sora said as he moved to stand.

"Yuna, are you sure you are confident in your decision? Are you sure that you don't need any more time to think it over?" Lulu asked.

Yuna just shook her head before offering a small smile. "No. I've done a lot of thinking and a lot of talking. I am a hundred percent sure in my decision about this matter."

"What's wrong Yuna?" Wakka asked when he saw the summoner looking around.

"Where are Auron and Rikku."

"They… didn't want to come. They said that this place made them uncomfortable." I answered.

…

…

…

We exited the Farplane and met with Rikku and the bottom of the stairs. "So Yunie, did you make your decision?"

"Yes, and I am ready to give it to Maester Seymour." Yuna answered honestly.

"What's that?" Some Guado shouted from the top of the stairs.

We turned our heads to see a transparent figure exit the Farplane. I couldn't really see who it was, but the figure struck me as someone I've seen before.

"It's Lord Jyscal!" Yuna gasped.

"No. That _**thing**_ is no longer Lord Jyscal. It's just a shell of who Lord Jyscal was. Yuna, you must send him before he reeks havoc among the people of Spira." Auron commanded.

Yuna nodded before hesitantly walking toward the figure. "Forgive me Lord Jyscal." I heard Yuna whisper before she started praying.

She didn't need her staff. Yuna told me that there was another sending technique summoners can use when sending now more than ten people, but it used twice as much power as the other technique. Grunts from my left drew my attention away from Yuna. Auron was on the ground, panting and struggling. He was the only one who was affected by Yuna's sending. That's also when I noticed that Pyreflies were starting to come out of him. After putting two and two together, I finally figured out Auron must be an unsent. I felt the urge to tell Sora and the others but put that notion aside. It wasn't my place to tell other people about someone else's business.

When she was finished, I saw how tired she was. A lot has happened today. I wouldn't be surprised if she fainted where she stood but Yuna hung on. I saw her bend down and pick something up. I couldn't see what it was, but whatever is was had the brunette confused greatly.

"We need to leave… _**NOW!**_" Auron commanded as he was already making his way down the stairs.

…

…

…

"What was up with that?" Tidus asked.

"I don't get it. Why wasn't Lord Jyscal sent when he passed on?" Yuna sighed.

"I have a theory. I think that Lord Jyscal was sent, but a powerful emotion of some kind kept him here. It seems as if he refused to leave." Lulu theorized.

"That's against the rules isn't it?" Rikku asked.

"It isn't if Lord Jyscal was murdered." Auron informed.

"What makes you think that he was murdered?" I asked.

"It would make sense. If Lord Jyscal _**was**_ murdered then maybe he wanted to stay behind and let us know exactly who did it." Sora thought.

"I think you should talk to Seymour and ask him about it." Goofy said before Donald and he nodded.

"I will, after I give him my decision." Yuna said.

"Man. I would like to meet the monster who murdered Lord Jyscal." Wakka glared as he punched his right fist into his left palm.

"_Something tells me that we've already have."_

…

…

…

We all waited outside while Yuna talked with Seymour.

"Man. She sure is taking her sweet time." Rikku said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"They have a lot to talk about. It's not like they can just have a five second conversation." I said.

"What do you think about this whole marriage thing?" Sora asked Tidus.

"I don't like it." Tidus grumbled with his arms crossed.

"You look like a two year old." I teased, causing the dirty blond to huff.

"Where are we going after this anyway?" Donald asked, changing the subject.

"The Thunder Plains are next. Oh boy." Rikku shook.

"Rikku scared of thunder?" Kimahri asked.

"Yes. When I was little… my Dad took us to the beach. I was playing in the water when a water fiend tried to attack me. My brother tried to kill it with a lightning attack he'd just learned. But when he used it, he missed the fiend completely and hit me instead. That's how I got this scar." Rikku nervously laughed as she removed her left boot and showed us a lightning bolt like scar on her calf. "I've been scared of thunder ever since." She put her boot back on. "The scar had hurt for a while, but eventually healed over time. I hate looking at it. It's a constant reminder of my fear of thunder."

"We're sorry to hear that, Rikku." Wakka softly said with his hand on her shoulder.

"But, your brother did have the right idea to combat a water fiend with a lightning element. If you want, Ke'Ania, Donald, Yuna, or I could teach you lightning spells for you to use." Lulu offered.

"Yeah, and plus, since you swim, you can use the attacks we teach you to get rid of any water fiend while you're under the water. We were planning on helping everyone in the group learn some type of elemental attack anyway." Donald cheered.

Rikku looked around before smiling and nodding her head. "Yeah. That sounds great. Do you think we can start before we leave?"

"We'll have to see how Yuna feels first and go from there. But other than that I don't see why we can't." Lulu offered a small smile.

"_**Ahhh. It's good to see the guardians of Lady Yuna again. And I see you have added more to your party. The more the merrier I always saw."**_

We turned our heads to see Shelinda standing to our left. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I was returning from the Thunder Plains." The red haired smiled before looking around. "May I ask? Where's Lady Yuna?"

"She's inside Maester Seymour's manor. Why? Is there something you wanted with her?" Lulu asked.

"No. I was just curious. Now I'm curious as to why she's in his manor when Maester Seymour is not home."

"What do you mean he's not home? How do you know that?" Donald asked.

"I just passed him and his entourage as they were walking through the Thunder Plains. I think he was heading to the Macalania Temple. He's the High Priest there so maybe he was called there." Shelinda said.

"Why didn't anyone tell us?" Wakka groaned with a hand over his face.

"Do you think Yuna knows? Maybe she's been searching for him this whole time. After all, his manor is pretty big." Sora said.

"I'll go get her." I said before entering the manor. Yuna was standing in front of Lord Jyscal's portrait with a distant look. "Yuna." I called, snapping him out of her thoughts. "Seymour isn't here."

"I know." She sighed. "I've searched this whole temple and haven't been able to find him. I figured that he was gone."

There was slight tension in the silence between us. "He's heading to Macalania Temple. Come on. The others are waiting." She nodded before following me out.

"I told her." Were the first words out of my mouth when we exited the manor.

"Yuna, do you want to catch up to him?" Lulu asked.

"Hey! I thought you guys were going to teach me some lightning attacks?" Rikku yelled.

"That's fine. We need to take a break anyway. Having Rikku and everyone else learn lightning attacks will benefit us while we're in the Thunder Plains." Yuna nodded.

"Well If Yuna is ok with it, then I'll be the first to teach you and anyone else interested in learning." Lulu said as she led the group a little ways away from us.

I looked down to see Yuna gripping something in her hand. I turned my head toward our group of friends with my arms crossed. "You know we're going to talk about that thing later, right."

Yuna's body tensed for a little bit before slightly relaxing with a sigh. "I know."


	26. Roaring Thunder

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Nothing Special. Same old same old.

**Chapter 23: Roaring Thunder**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

"Ok. Great job today everyone. We'll continue later on with more training on lightning techniques." Lulu said after clapping her hands.

"Oh man. I never would've thought that using magic would take _**that **_ much energy out of you." Rikku panted as she fell on her knees.

"It takes a lot of mental preparation. After all, if you cast the wrong thing or if you're not focused while casting your spell or attack, then you could really hurt someone or yourself." Ke'Ania laughed.

"But all in all you did do a great job handling yourself for someone who's terrified of lighting." Lulu lightly smiled.

"It's because I had you guys to help and encourage me. I don't think I would've been able to do this all on my own." Rikku smiled before standing up and dusting herself off. "Thanks everyone!"

"Yuna?" Wakka called. "You ok?"

"Huh?" Yuna said after being snapped out of her thoughts.

"I asked if you were ok. You've been spacing out a lot lately. Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine. No need to worry." Yuna smiled, but I could tell that it was fake. She tends to do that after being accused of spacing out.

"Well if you're fine, then should we start our chase after Seymour?" Auron asked.

"Yeah! We should chase him down and make him tell us why he left without telling anyone." Donald cheered.

"Donald's right. Seymour has some explaining to do." Tidus nodded with his arms folded.

"No. It's alright that he left without saying anything. He is a Maester of Yevon. He doesn't have to explain himself to us." Yuna defended.

"Fair enough. So _**do **_you want to head to the Macalania Temple? He maybe the high priest there, but I doubt he'll stay there longer than he needs to." I asked as I stepped closer to her.

"Yeah. Let us go. It'll take us a few days to reach the Macalania Temple anyway. By time we get there, Maester Seymour shouldn't be too terribly busy." Yuna nodded before heading to Guadosalam's exit.

"Yuna. Shouldn't you rest first? You've had an eventful day. Aren't you even a little tired?" Lulu asked.

"Not really. I have enough energy to make it to the inn that lies in the middle of the Thunder Plains. Once we get there we can rest." Yuna said before walking through the exit's tunnel.

"What's wrong with Yuna, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know Goofy." I replied before turning toward Ke'Ania. "Do you know, Ke'Ania?"

"I don't." She sighed. "But whatever is wrong with her, it must have something to do with Seymour."

"Why does it seem that whenever _**he's**_ mentioned, Yuna does a lot of thinking?" Tidus grumbled.

"She might be marrying the guy. She's probably thinking about all kinds of things." Wakka inserted.

"No… I think it runs a lot deeper than that." Lulu said.

"Well whatever the problem is, Yuna will tell us when she's ready. For now, we must do our jobs as her guardians and protect her." Auron said as he walked through the exit's tunnel. We nodded before following.

…

…

…

"So this is the Thunder Plains?" I asked as I looked around. The only thing I could see for miles were towers, rain, endless road, lightning, and fog. "It's very… raining…?" I nervously laughed.

"Well no wonder it's called the Thunder Plains. This weather is practically calling the thunder here." Donald commented.

"It's cold too." Goofy shivered. "Does it ever stop raining here?"

"No. Like Donald said, this weather practically calls the thunder here. It never stops raining and thundering." Lulu said.

"This place used to be a traveler's nightmare. People feared coming through here. They were afraid of being struck down by the unpredictable, multiple lighting strikes that constantly hit the ground." Yuna informed.

"Until an _**Al Bhed **_named Bilghen came here and started building those towers over there." Wakka added as he pointed to the first tower.

"He was almost finished with the last one, but was ironically struck down and killed by one of the lighting strikes." Lulu finished. "This place is still pretty treacherous to cross, but the towers do a pretty good job of drawing most of the lighting towards them. We have to stick by them, but not to close or else the lighting striking the towers can hit us too."

"So let me get this straight…" Ke'Ania said as she stepped in front of the group. "It never stops raining, thundering and lighting here and the only way to cross these plains is to stick close enough to the lightning towers to avoid getting hit by the lighting striking the ground or the towers?"

Everyone, but Tidus nodded. "That's why I hate this place!" Rikku yelled as she moved to stand next to Ke'Ania.

"That's total bull shit!" Tidus groaned in frustration.

"Isn't there another way for us to get to Macalania Temple without going through here?"

"No, there isn't and you know it." Auron said with slight annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah I know." Rikku grumbled with her arms crossed. "You didn't have to be so mean about it."

"She's right, Sir Auron. You could've been a little bit nicer." Yuna scolded. Auron stayed quiet.

"This sucks! I hate getting my feathers soaked. How long do you think it'll take before we reach the inn?" Donald asked.

"I don't know. If I had to guess, I'd say it would take about a few hours… _**IF**_ we don't run into fiends." Wakka concluded.

"Aw man. So you mean to tell me that I'll not only have to deal with soaked feathers _**and**_ random fiends that _**might**_ attack us? Just great! Fuckin great!" Donald yelled as he pulled on his feathers.

"Don't get you feathers ruffled yet, Donald." Ke'Ania sighed as she focused her magic into two of her fingers. "I can't do anything about your feathers or us getting soaked, but I can do something about warming us up and being unaffected if we were to accidentally get struck by lightning." And with that, Ke'Ania released her fire and lighting powers on us. Red and yellow rays wrapped around our bodies like blankets. "There. Now we'll be able to stay warm from the cold winds and rain while also being protected from lighting if it should strike us." She smiled.

"You can't use your water element to shield us from the rain?" Tidus asked.

"Sorry, but my magic only allows someone to breathe under water, not keep them dry." Ke'Ania sighed.

"If that's all, then I suggest we get going before things start to pick up." Auron suggested as he stepped out of the tunnel.

We nodded and followed him.

…

…

…

We passed the first tower with ease. Lightning hasn't hit us yet, but it did strike the tower next to us, causing Rikku to jump into Tidus's arms.

"Would you like me to carry you from here on out?" Tidus asked with a teasing smirk.

"No! I'm a big girl!" She argued as she jumped out of his arms and crossed hers. "I can handle myself!"

When lightning struck ground besides us, Rikku jumped back into Tidus's arms with a yelp. "You can handle yourself, eh?" Tidus teased.

"Ok, maybe I can't. But since you offered, then you may carry me." Rikku smirked.

"Hn. You're acting like a child." Auron tsked.

"Considering I am only 15, I'd say that I'm acting my age." Rikku huffed before shrieking when a lot of lightning bolts started hitting the ground. **"WHAT'S WITH ALL THESE LIGHTNING BOLTS?"**

"I agree. Lightning bolts are supposed be attracted here, but all of this lightning is ridiculous." Lulu said.

"Uh guys…? Don't look now, but I think those bolts are heading for us!" Ke'Ania yelled when she pointed to two bolts coming our way.

Thinking quickly, I reached over and grabbed Ke'Ania and jumped out of the way. There were two big black scorch marks were we were.

"You alright?" I asked Ke'Ania as I held her close.

"Yeah. I'm fine, but what about the others?" She asked.

I frantically looked around to make sure everyone was ok. Tidus was still holding Rikku, Kimahri grabbed Yuna, Donald had pushed Goofy out of the way, Wakka was holding onto Lulu, and Auron had managed to jump out of the way safely.

"Everyone ok?" Yuna asked.

"How about asking us after we survive those!" Tidus yelled as he turned his head toward another wave of lightning bolts coming our way.

I grabbed Ke'Ania again and jumped out of the way. That seemed to be the only thing we could do. Every time we turned around, more and more lightning bolts were coming at us.

"This is ridiculous!" Donald yelled as he and Goofy continued to run away from the lightning bolts.

"Where are all they coming from?" Rikku shrieked.

"If we knew that, we would've found a way to stop it, now wouldn't we!" Auron yelled over the lightning. We kept dodging until the lightning until it suddenly… stopped? "What happened to the lightning? Why has it stopped?"

"I would like to know that too." Lulu said as she hopped out of Wakka's arms.

"Wait! I see something!" Ke'Ania yelled before turning to me. "Sora, put me down so I can see what it is."

"Be careful." I nodded while doing what she asked.

I put her down and watched as she walked in front of the group. Whatever strand of her long, sandy brown hair that wasn't sticking to her body lightly swayed behind her. She stood in front of us and readied herself for any lightning might strike her. When none did, Ke'Ania held her hand out to the side, allowing a white energy ball to form in her palm before throwing it in front of her. When the ball flew through the fog and smog it separated the thick clouds and reviled three opponents. One was familiar. It was a Lightning Element, like the one we fought in Kilika. The other two were new. One had a smooth, conical, yellow body and had a Heartless emblem emblazoned on its chest. The top of its body was flared outward and formed a jagged collar below the Heartless's spherical, pitch black head. It also had a conical, orange hat that has a jagged brim, a yellow and green band, and a thin, slightly bent tip. This was one Heartless I had never seen before. The last opponent was a large purple fiend creature with purple smoke surrounding it and an evil expression on its front.

"**WHAT THE HELL KIND OF FIEND IS THAT LAST ONE?"** I yelled as I fell back on my butt.

"That is known as a Larva. It can use powerful and dangerous lightning attacks on its foes, but when its health is almost depleted it'll use its lightning on itself. It's kind of like when Ke'Ania used the lightning from the Djose Temple to heal herself." Lulu explained.

"What kind of Heartless is that, Ke'Ania?" Yuna asked as she pointed to the little floating yellow Heartless in the middle of the trio.

"I don't know, Yuna. We've never fought against something like that." Ke'Ania answered as we all got out our weapons. "Donald? Goofy? Do you know what that is?"

"Well gash Donald, didn't King Mickey teach us about that Heartless a long time ago?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah. I think it was called a… Yellow Opera? Yeah that's it. It's called a Yellow Opera. It can also use lightning attacks, but I doubt they're as strong as the Larva's or the Lightning Element's." Donald explained.

"Ok. So now we know what they are. How do we beat them?" Wakka asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We to use water on them." Lulu said while rolling her eyes.

"But, what about the people who don't know how to use water?" Rikku asked.

"Those of us who can't use water magic will have to deal with the Larva. It's the only opponent that can also be attacked. The others will deal with the other two." Auron commanded. We all nodded before getting to work.

Goofy was the first one to rush forward. He ran right for the Larva before throwing his shield. The Larva dodged before unleashing its lightning onto Goofy, sending him flying back.

"**Goofy!" **We all yelled as Donald ran over to Goofy.

"Are you alright?" Donald asked.

"I'm fine. Since Ke'Ania casted that lightning spell on us, it doesn't even hurt. In fact, it kind of tickles." The black dog laughed.

"**You idiot! I was worried about you and all you can do is laugh?"** Donald screeched as he jumped up and down.

"_Those two, I swear."_ I mentally smirked before turning toward Auron, Kimahri, and Tidus.

We had a silent conversation before rushing toward the Larva. We lifted our blades and sliced in to the fiend. I sliced it on its right side, Tidus sliced it on its left, Auron's cut went through the centre, and Kimahri's went down the middle. We landed our attacks all at once, causing the fiend to disappear. Tidus and I hi-fived while Kimahri and Auron put away their weapons. Lulu and Yuna used their water element to get rid of the Lightning Element while Ke'Ania used her water to get rid of the Yellow Opera.

"Good work everyone." Yuna smiled as she put away her staff.

"Come on. We still have a little ways to go until we reach the inn." Auron said a she started to walk off.

"Sir Auron's right. I don't wanna be here when more Heartless or fiends show up." Wakka nodded.

…

…

…

"Thank Yevon! We finally made it!" Wakka cried as he fell to the floor of the inn and kissed it.

"Get off the ground. You look like a dog." Lulu groaned as we started to file in.

"Well he's right about one thing, it's good to be inside instead of out there in that pouring rain." Rikku sighed.

"I know right. I love the rain, but when the winds started to pick up and the rain came down harder, that's when enough was enough." Ke'Ania sighed as she rung out her hair.

"Well since you're so happy, you should be thanking Rikku. If it wasn't for her crying and crawling we wouldn't even be here." Tidus teased.

"Oh be quiet!" Rikku glared.

"I don't care about the rain. I don't care about lightning. I don't care about fiends. I don't care about any of that. All I care about is this sweet salvation we're in right now." Wakka cried again as he continued to kiss the floor.

"_**Ah. It is good to see you again, Lady Yuna and Lady Yuna's guardians."**_ We looked up to see the blond Al Bhed named Rin standing before us.

"Ah hell." Wakka said with a sour expression.

"_**Don't start, Wakka."**_ Lulu warned with a scary glare.

"It is good to see you too, Rin. I haven't seen you since before the operation. I was hoping that you weren't a part of it or at least made it out alright. It's good to see that you are." Yuna smiled as she approached the blond haired male.

"It is good that you made it out ok too. I was panicked and going insane with not knowing your life status. How are you fairing after that ordeal?"

"I am fine. I am… coping with that nightmare." Yuna faked smiled.

"You're shivering and soaking wet. Please, allow my girls to help each and every one of you dry off before setting up your rooms." Rin offered.

"Thank you, Rin." Yuna lightly smiled, for real.

"I'll dry us off so your girls can just take care of the rooms." Ke'Ania offered, causing Rin to nod.

Ke'Ania used her fire element to dry us off before using her water element to clean up the puddles we were causing.

"You're power is truly tremendous. Please tell me, who taught you?" Rin asked.

"Well actually… I taught myself." Ke'Ania blushed as she scratched one finger against her cheek.

"You are wise beyond your years. You don't really see much of that these days." Rin commented, causing Ke'Ania to blush harder.

"Um Rin…? I'm a little tired. Are your girls finished with the rooms?" Yuna asked.

"I'll go check. Please wait right here." Rin turned to leave, but stopped when he saw Rikku.

They shared a silent conversation until Rikku slowly shook her head. Rin continued to stand still before sighing and nodding in understanding and turning to leave again.

"What was that all about?" I whispered to Ke'Ania, who only shrugged.

…

…

…

"You're rooms are ready now. I'm sorry, but we only have enough for two or three people to share one room."

"That's alright Rin. Yuna and I can just room together. The rest of you can decide who goes where amongst yourselves." Ke'Ania said to us.

"Thank you, Lord Rin." Yuna bowed as she walked by. Ke'Ania did the same before the both of them disappeared into the hallway that led to their room.

"Excuse me." Rin said as he stepped in front of Tidus and me. "I was not able to catch your name last time we met. What is it?"

"It's Tidus. And this is Sora." Tidus introduced.

"Nice to meet ya." I smiled.

"My pleasure." Rin nodded before turning his head towards Auron. "You two are Lady Yuna's guardians, so you must know if that is truly Sir Auron, right?" We nodded. "So is it?"

"Yeah that's Auron. But why did you wanna know?" Tidus asked.

"I just wanted to make sure before I made a fool of myself." Rin said before walking over to Auron. "Sir Auron." Auron turned to face Rin. "I was wondering if you remembered me?"

"Of course. I… never got the chance to thank you for saving me that night." Auron said as he shook Rin's hand.

"It was no trouble at all. Although, you did surprise me when you left the next morning, considering you had that horrible wound in your body."

"I'd rather… drop that subject. It was too long ago." Auron said before turning away from the blond Al Bhed.

"You are right. Please forgive me." Rin bow slightly before straightening out and smiling. "I am very grateful that you survived the ordeal all the same." Auron didn't turn around, but he nodded in an understanding manor. "I hope you guys will wake up well rested and relaxed before heading out again. And please enjoy your stay here." And with that Rin turned and walked through the hallway.

"Wow. Auron seems to have a lot of secrets, huh?" Donald asked in awe.

"Yeah. You're right… That's so cool!" I quietly cheered.

"Cool, but totally unnecessary. What could he be hiding and why?" Tidus thought.

"Maybe, if we wait long enough, Auron will tell all his secrets one day." Goofy smiled.

"Hn. Good luck with that." Auron smirked as he passed us before he and Kimahri went to their room.

…

…

…

"Auron thinks he's so cool with his cool looking sword and his mysterious personality, and his good looks, and his silent-but-deadly type, and his… his… his… Auron-ness." Tidus grumbled.

"Auron-ness?" I chuckled.

"I ran out of things to name, alright." Tidus pouted.

"Tidus. You said that Auron was once your guardian, right? When you were a kid, right? What was it like?" Goofy asked.

"Actually… It wasn't all that bad. He made sure that my Mom and I had plenty of food to eat, made sure that we would never lose our house, and he made sure that we were more than taken care of. I remember playing Blitzball and him beginning at each and every game. Even the last game I played in Zanarkand. If I had to describe Auron, I would have to say that he's like a step-father minus most of the affection and great bonding some kids have with their step-parents." Tidus explained as we continued down the hallway. "What about you Sora? What were your parents like?"

"Well~"

"Hey, you guys hear that?" Donald interrupted.

We all listened carefully only to hear something faint. "What is that?" I asked.

"It sounds like someone talking." Goofy answered.

"_So… does this prove what you've been feeling?"_

"That sounds like Ke'Ania." I said.

"_It does, but it does not change my answer."_

"And that's Yuna's voice." Tidus whispered.

"_But why? Why would you go through with something that could be completely dangerous?"_

"I wonder what they could be talking about?" Goofy asked.

"Let's put our ears against the door to hear better." Donald suggested.

We nodded before all of us pilled against the door and tried to listen in. Everything was going great until our combined weight caused the door to open. We all grunted as we fell to the floor.

"Oh my." Yuna gasped as she straightened up by the nightstand.

"What are you four doing in here?" Ke'Ania lightly glared as us from the bed.

"Oh we were just, um, heading to our rooms." Tidus stuttered as he stood up with us.

Things between us were awkward. The only sound in the room was a static like voice coming from the sphere next to Yuna. There was a small hologram of Lord Jyscal above the sphere. From what it looked like, the video was made while he was in the Thunder Plains. The girls noticed that we noticed the sphere and tensed.

"That's Lord Jyscal… right?" I nervously asked.

Neither of the girls moved, but I could tell that Yuna was about to bust. "Sorry!" She said before running out of the room and down the hall.

We didn't know where she was going, and I don't think she knew either. She just probably wanted to get out of here. And judging from the way Ke'Ania was glaring… I wanted to too.

The air was thickened when Ke'Ania let out a sigh before slowly standing up and moving to shut off the sphere. "You shouldn't have been snooping around. That's how feelings get hurt. Remember that old saying 'Curiosity killed the cat'? If that were literally true, then right now you four just lost your nine lives. Remember that." And with that, Ke'Ania strolled out of the room to look for Yuna.

We just looked at each other with nervous glances. Things did not seem to be going well… for any of us.

…

…

…

That night, at dinner, Yuna and Ke'Ania called a meeting between the eleven of us. Yuna stood in front of us while Ke'Ania remained at her side, quiet and worried. Her head was turned so that her eyes were hidden from us by her bangs.

"Everyone… I have something important to say…" All eyes were on her, making her extra nervous. "I've decided to marry Maester Seymour."

"Somehow, I knew you were going to say that." Lulu sighed.

"But, what changed your mind?" Wakka asked.

"I want to marry Seymour to please the people of Spira and to honor Yevon's unity. Those are my only reasons." Yuna calmly stated.

"You're a horrible liar, Yuna." Auron scoffed. I think what Auron said was true, because Yuna tensed at Auron's words. "Tell us the real reason."

Yuna hesitated then. "Is it because of Lord Jyscal? Are you still bothered because you had to send his unsent?" Lulu asked.

Yuna still hesitated. "Why don't you show them that sphere of Jyscal, Yuna." Donald suggested.

"Yeah. Maybe whatever he said on there is the real reason why ya wanna marry him." Goofy added.

"A sphere of Lord Jyscal? Yuna. What are they talking about?" Wakka asked.

"Show us." Auron demanded.

"She can't." Ke'Ania answered. Her body was stiff and her eyes were a reddish-brown color as she turned to us. "She has to talk to Seymour first before she can involve you guys at all."

"But why Yunie? Don't you trust us?" Rikku pleaded.

"Of course I do. It's just that… I don't want you guys to fall as hard as me, if my plan should fail." Yuna explained. Everything was quiet for a minute before Yuna cleared her throat. "I am going to bed. After everyone wakes up, we'll leave. It'll take us a few hours to get through the rest of the plains, so please rest up." And with that, Yuna turned and left.

Tidus got up to try and stop her, but Ke'Ania stopped him. "Don't bother. I've tried talking to her. She knows what she's doing. I just wish she wasn't so naïve." The room's air became too thick to breathe in. "I'm going to bed." Ke'Ania sighed as she turned to leave the room.

No one talked. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. No one knew what to say. We were all lost… I wish we had a clue. The only sound throughout the entire inn… The fierce lightning bolts striking the ground.


	27. Frozen Heart

**Warnings for this Chapter: **Nothing that needs to be added on. The gang vs. Seymour.

**Chapter 24: Frozen Heart**

**Normal P.O.V.**

After that awkward moment at Rin's Inn, the gang finally turned in and got what little rest they could. The only thing they could think about was what Yuna and Ke'Ania had said during the meeting. It disturbed them, but they couldn't truly question Yuna. They knew that they wouldn't really get anywhere. So, they left it alone.

After everyone finally woke up, they met up in the inn's lobby. No one smiled or talked. They all knew where they were going, so there was no reason to talk. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tidus observed the Yuna and Ke'Ania the entire trip. Both girls seemed too lost in their separate thoughts to really notice anything around them. It was that very same thinking that almost got them killed by fiends.

There were a few battles, nothing they could handle, but no one's heart were in them. Even Auron fought half-heartedly. And after a few hours of walking and fighting, they finally arrived at the entrance to the Macalania Woods.

…

…

…

"Thank goodness we finally got out of there." Rikku sighed as she wrung out some of the rain that collected in her hair and clothes.

"Yeah. I don't know how much longer I could take dealing with wet feathers." Donald said as he tried to shake his feathers dry.

But right when he was starting to get somewhere, Kimahri and Goofy shook their fur dry right next to him, successfully getting Donald wetter. "I know what you mean, Donald." Donald smiled as he and Kimahri walked away.

"Gee. Thanks." Donald huffed again before shaking his feathers dry again.

"Don't worry, Donald. I'll dry everyone off in a second." Ke'Ania said as she started to wring her long sandy brown hair and outfit dry. Once her soaked hair and clothing weren't so distracting, Ke'Ania used her fire magic to completely dry and warm everyone up. "There you go everyone." She smiled.

"Thanks." Auron said as he passed by her.

"He could've said it a little bit nicer." Rikku huffed with her arms crossed.

"Coming from him, that's the nicest 'thank you' I'll get." Ke'Ania sighed with a grin and her hands on her hips. With her hands still on her hips, Ke'Ania walked to meet up with the rest of the team, but stopped and stared in awe at the beauty of the frozen woods. "Wow… So this is Macalania Woods. It's so pretty."

"The entire woods have been frosted over because of the cold that leaks from the Macalania Temple. Before we get to the temple and after we leave these woods, there's a giant lake that remains frozen throughout the year." Lulu commented.

"You serious? That's so cool." Sora cheered.

"Raven would love this place." Ke'Ania added.

"Why do you say that?" Goofy asked.

"Because the element she's mastered was ice. This would be her domain." The caramel skinned girl explained.

"What about Saedi?" Sora asked.

"Naw. She would've hated it here. Her element is fire. She doesn't like the cold, but she can tolerate it." Ke'Ania explained again.

"Ok. So which way are we going?" Tidus asked with his fingers laced behind his head.

"There are three roads that are accessible because of these woods. To our right are two roads. One will take us to the Calm Lands. The other will take us to Bevelle. We'll have to come back here and take those roads after Yuna finishes her business with Seymour. But for now we're going to take the one in front of us. That will lead us to Macalania Temple." Auron answered.

"So, there's pretty much nothing but ice and water fiends here, right?" Donald asked.

"Pretty much. So we'll have to remember to use fire, wind, and/or lightning abilities while we're here." Lulu suggested.

Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Tidus nodded before Ke'Ania noticed Wakka walking towards the road with a confused look. "What's wrong Wakka?" Ke'Ania asked.

"There used to be a secret road right here. I wonder where it went?" Wakka wondered.

"Are you sure you didn't just make it up? I mean, roads just don't up and vanish like that." Tidus said.

"No. It was definitely here." Wakka said before going back to study the road some more. After studying it for another few minutes, the red head gave a defeated sigh. "Oh well. No use in worrying about it."

"Where did the road lead to anyway?" Donald asked.

"I don't really know actually. I've never took that road before, but always wanted to the next time I passed through here." Wakka answered.

"Well, maybe we'll figure out a way to make it reappear when we come back." Goofy smiled.

"Yeah. Maybe you're right." Wakka smiled back.

"Let's go. We still have a long ways to go and little time to do it in." Auron commanded, causing everyone to nod and follow him.

…

…

…

They started up the road and right away Ke'Ania was already having second thoughts. "Are you sure this is safe?" Rikku asked as she tried to balance herself on the icy road.

"Yeah. I don't wanna fall and break something because these roads are icy." Ke'Ania added in as while she tried to balance herself too.

"Of course it is." Wakka said.

"These roads aren't exactly covered in ice. They just glisten and give off the illusion of being covered in ice. But, the people who have traveled along these roads claim these roads safe." Yuna reassured them with a smile.

"That's good to know." Rikku sighed in relief.

"Just make sure to not look down. It could be… fatal." Auron snickered as he walked by, causing the two girls to look at each other and huddle close.

"Sir Auron! That wasn't a nice trick." Yuna scolded.

"No it wasn't. I was hilarious." Sora, Tidus, and Wakka laughed together.

Ke'Ania, Yuna, and Lulu glared at the laughing fools before Rikku raised her hand and used her lightning to shock them. "Ha. Looks like you guys aren't laughing now." The blond smirked before blowing the imaginary smoke off her finger.

"Nice one, Rikku." Ke'Ania cheered.

"Yes. You've aimed your lighting well." Lulu congratulated.

"Alright. You've had your fun. Can we please get through these woods?" Tidus pleaded as Sora, Wakka and he continued to rub their burnt butts.

The giggling girls nodded before continuing.

…

…

…

Along the road, the gang encountered a few fiends. There was a fiend made of metal that could poison them, but thankfully they killed it before that could happen. There were also ice and water elements, a Chimera, and a few other weak fiends.

"This is a complete waste of time." Tidus grumbled as he put away his sword.

They had just defeated another Chimera.

"Why are you so impatient?" Lulu asked after she had put away her doll.

"I don't know. I just feel like something bad is going to happen at the temple and I'm anxious to find out what." Tidus answered with his arms crossed.

"Well you need to calm down and focus. If you're too busy focusing on the future then you won't be able to do your current duty: guarding Yuna." Auron scolded.

Tidus just huffed and tightened his crossed arms. It was Yuna that offered him a smile and a comforting hand. "You know that he is right though. Whatever feeling of anxiety you have, it will soon be found out anyway. Just please calm down and fight with us until them."

At his crush's smile, Tidus's anxiety and frustration calmed down, allowing him to grab hold of her hand and gently squeeze it. "Thanks Yuna. You're right." Tidus smiled back before they caught up with the rest of the group.

"Hey. Isn't that Barthello?" Rikku asked.

Ke'Ania moved to stand next to Rikku and tried to see if she could see what the blond female was talking about. "Yeah. I think it is. But, I don't see Dona anywhere."

"Do ya think they got separated?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know, but I think we're about to find out." Donald said right as Barthello ran towards them.

"Lady Yuna and her guardians! I'm so glad I found you." The big man huffed as he tried to catch his breath.

"Where is Lady Dona, Barthello? Why is she not with you?" Lulu asked.

"We got separated on the way here. There was an accident and when I woke up, Dona was nowhere to be found. I've been looking all over for her. Damnit! I feel like such a failure!" Barthello cried. Even though he used his arm to cover his eyes, the gang could still tell that he was crying.

"You need to calm down, rethink your strategy, and then go find her." Auron calmly ordered.

"But that'll take too long! I don't have that kind of time! If anything happens to her~"

"Auron's right. If you keep running around, then you won't find her." Goofy advised.

"If you just think things through, focus and keep a calm head, then everything will work out for the better." Ke'Ania smiled with green eyes.

"You guys are right. I have been blindly searching. I'll go to the entrance of the woods and do some meditating there. Thanks for helping me realize my mistakes. I am forever in your debt." Barthello bowed in appreciation before walking passed everyone.

"We'll keep an eye out for Dona for you!" Rikku smiled and cheered with a wave.

"Now I'm really worried." Lulu sighed with her right hand on her forehead.

"Why?" Sora asked as he moved to stand in his signature pose with his fingers laced behind his head.

"Remember when Kimahri's clansmen and Isaaru said something about summoners disappearing? Well, now Dona is missing. So this only proves my fear." Lulu sighed again.

"Do you think the same people who are nabbing the summoners nabbed Dona?" Wakka asked.

"I don't know, but they might have." Lulu answered.

"So what if they nabbed those summoners? They're not getting Yuna." Tidus said.

"And how do you know that, Mr. Confident." Rikku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"All we need to do is not get distracted and tighten our watch over Yuna." Tidus answered.

"Hn. Look who's talking about _**not**_ getting distracted." Ke'Ania scoffed.

"Hey~!"

"And, at any rate, if we did tighten our watch over Yuna, then we might as well be tied together." Ke'Ania laughed.

"If that's what it takes then that's what may have to happen." Tidus nodded with his arms crossed.

"No you're using that brain of yours." Auron chuckled as he and the others walked passed the dirty blond man.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Tidus yelled as he ran to catch up.

…

…

…

About an hour or so, the eleven of them managed to make it out of the woods with little problem from fiends. But, when they got to the exit, Auron stopped.

"Wait." The man in the red robe called out.

"What's the matter, Auron?" Wakka asked.

"It's here… somewhere…" Auron replied as he moved to observe a blocked off part of the woods.

"What is it?" Tidus asked.

"Jecht left something here when we passed through here ten years ago. I wonder if it's still here." Auron answered as he pulled out his sword.

"I thought you said we had to hurry?" Rikku smirked with her hands on her hips.

"This won't take too long."

"We'll help you." Ke'Ania said as Tidus, Sora, and she pulled out their blades and helped cut the branches.

When they were done, a pathway was found. "Come on. It's this way." Auron said.

Everyone nodded before carefully walking over the branches. The guys helped the girls climbed over. The path they had to follow was cover in water, but none of them minded. When they got to the end of the path, there was a big empty space.

"What is this place?" Donald asked.

"This… is what you can say spheres are made out of." Auron said as he stepped further into the clearing.

"Water?" Goofy asked.

"Memories. You see that big crystal like thing over there? It's what absorbs and preserves people's memories before turning them into spheres." Auron answered before binding down to touch the water.

But, right when he did that, a fiend made its way toward the surface, causing Auron to jump back. Everyone readied their weapons as they watched a giant gel-type fiend appeared before them.

"What the hell is that?" Sora asked.

"It's a Spherimorph. I've only read about these in mage books, but I never would've thought that I would face one of these in person." Lulu said with awe in her voice.

"That's great, Lu. But it would be even greater if you told us how to defeat it." Wakka said with his ball in one hand.

"It's body is resistant against physical attacks, leaving magic the only way to fight it."

"So that means you boys will have to kick back and watch us girls beat up this thing." Rikku giggled.

"Hey! What about me? I can use magic too." Donald complained.

"Yeah, but us girls wanna fight this one by ourselves. You can help with the next one." Ke'Ania answered, causing Donald to huff with his arms crossed.

"Which elements do we use against it?" Yuna asked.

"If I remember correctly, this particular fiend can absorb all elements except the one it attacks with." Lulu said.

"So basically we can beat it back with its opposing element. Gotchya." Ke'Ania said as she readied herself.

"I'm going to cast Nul-Fire, Nul-Ice, Nul-Lightning, and Nul-Water on all of us, so that whatever element it hits us with won't harm us and will tell us which one to use against it." Yuna said before casting her spell.

"Great thinking, Yunie. Now let's waste this fiend." Rikku cheered.

The guys stood back and watched as the four girls took care of business. They waited for the Spherimorph to strike first. When it did, the fiend used lighting first. The lightning seemed as if it came out of the sky. When the girls dodged it, the lightning hit the wet floor and shocked everyone, but thanks to Yuna they didn't feel it. Lulu and Ke'Ania got up and used their water element to strike the fiend, Rikku moved to protect Yuna, while Yuna casted Nul-Lightning on everyone again. When Ke'Ania and Lulu's water element hit their target, the fiend jiggled before changing from green to dark blue and back to light blue. The girls waited again before having to dodge a bunch of fireballs. Ke'Ania and Lulu jumped out of the way before summoning their most powerful ice attacks and sending them at the Spherimorph. After their attack hit, the fiend started to morph before unleashing streams of water, causing Rikku, Ke'Ania, and Lulu to unleash their most powerful lightning attacks.

That's how the battle went on for about ten minutes. The Spherimorph changed each time the girls beat it back with its opposing element while Yuna kept casting Nul-spells on everyone. The battle seemed to go on forever before the Spherimorph let out one final water attack on Rikku. It drenched her, but other than that she was fine. That's when all four of the girls unleashed their most powerful lightning attacks. Their aim was on point and deadly, causing the fiend to still before it started jiggling rapidly.

"What's happenin'?" Goofy asked.

Everyone watched in awe as the Spherimorph continued to shake before pouring onto the wet ground and disappearing. When it was finally gone the girls started to jump around and cheer.

"That's what girl power is all about!" Ke'Ania, Yuna and Rikku cheered as they jumped around. Even Lulu found it hard to contain her excitement.

"Great job, ladies." Wakka smiled.

"Toldchya we were tough." Rikku teased.

"We make a pretty good team." Lulu said calmly.

"Yes, but the four of us plus the seven of them make an even greater team." Yuna smiled.

In the mist of the girls cheering, Donald noticed that Auron was looking for something where the Spherimorph was just floating. "What are you looking for, Auron?" The white duck asked.

"This." The warrior said as he turned and faced everyone.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"Jecht left this sphere here." Auron answered.

"My old man recorded this?" Tidus asked as he took the sphere from his former guardian.

"Yes. He made one for each place he visited."

"Why? It wasn't like he was on vacation or anything." Tidus commented.

"He wanted to bring them back to show you all that he's seen." Auron explained.

"Well then, what are we waiting for. Let's watch it." Ke'Ania said before pressing the play button on the sphere.

Everyone watched the events the Jecht recorded between a younger Auron, Lord Braska, and him.

"What was the point of doing all of this? It seems pretty useless to me." Tidus grumbled.

"Keep watching and maybe you'll find out." Rikku sighed.

They continued watching more scenes, but the scene that really got everyone was the scene Jecht recorded in the clearing where they were currently at. The words Jecht said in that sphere touched and pulled at Tidus's heart. It felt a little disturbing to him.

"I don't get what he was trying to accomplish in that sphere." Tidus said.

"When Jecht first started traveling with us, all he could talk about was returning home and showing you everything he'd seen. But, the longer he traveled with us and the more he had come to understand Spira, he started to change and decided to stay and help Braska and I fight Sin. He knew that there was no way to return home, so that's why he started to leave his spheres all over Spira. He hoped that when you came here, you'd find and watch them. He wished for this… even though he knew that you hated him. He even told me that he knew that he wasn't the best father in the world. He said that that when he got back he's fix everything between you two. But the night he finally accepted his fate, Jecht cried."

"Whoa. Wait a minute. Jecht, my old man, actually cried?" Tidus gasped. "Now I know you're lying."

"It's the truth. He cried because he missed you and his wife and because he had finally accepted the fact that he wasn't going to get the chance to make things right. But after he whipped away his tears, he made it his goal in life to make himself useful. That was what helped him get through each day." Auron explained.

"Wow, Tidus. Your father sounds like a whole another man since he came here." Ke'Ania said.

"Yeah. I just wish that he had changed and realized that before he got sent here to Spira." Tidus mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear.

"He also wanted me to make sure that you knew that he loved you." Auron added.

"Alright that's enough. We don't have time for mushy feelings. We have a temple to get to and a priest to demand questions from." Tidus lightly blushed.

"Then let us go." Yuna smiled before leading everyone out of the clearing.

When most of the group was further away, Tidus placed a hand on Auron's shoulder and whispered a 'thank you' before moving to catch up with them.

…

…

…

"It's freezing out here!" Rikku yelled as she hugged herself."

"I'll warm us up." Donald said before using his magic to warm everyone up.

"Thanks." Rikku smiled.

"There's a inn over there, Yuna. Would you like to rest?" Lulu asked.

"No. We've keep Maester Seymour waiting long enough. We should continue." Yuna said before leading them down the snowy road.

"Ahhh Lady Yuna and her guardians. It's a pleasure to see you again. It's also a pleasure to see that you've made it here safely." Tromell bowed in greeting after approaching them.

"It's good to see you too. I hope Maester Seymour isn't too angry with us for making him wait for so long." Yuna said while bowing at Tromell.

"Of course not. He actually sent me as an apology for leaving without notice. There were a few things that need to be taken care of at the Macalania Temple anyway." Tromell explained.

"It was quite alright. I was actually wondering if you could answer my question." Yuna asked, capturing Tromell's attention. "I would like to continue my pilgrimage… even if I marry Maester Seymour. Do you think that would be a problem for him?"

"But of course not. Why I wouldn't be surprised if he joined you on your pilgrimage." Tromell chuckled.

"Great." Tidus grumbled before Ke'Ania lightly elbowed him in the gut.

"Now please, come along, Lady Yuna. Maester Seymour must be informed of your arrival." Yuna nodded before moving to stand next to him. "I'm sorry, but we must follow Guado tradition. You guardians must stay here a little while longer. I will send an entourage to escort you to the temple."

Everyone nodded before watching Yuna and Tromell go down the snow covered road.

"Oh no!" Rikku yelled suddenly.

"What is it?" Lulu asked.

"The Al Bhed are coming!" Wakka shouted, causing everyone to run onto the icy lake in a panic.

When everyone got onto the ice, they huddled around each other with their weapons ready. "What's happening?" Ke'Ania asked.

"_**RIKKU!"**_ A strange man with a blond Mohawk and overalls shouted.

He started speaking the Al Bhed language before a giant machina with a big gun attached to it appeared next to him.

"Can we get a translation?" Tidus asked.

"That thing prevents us from using aeons and magic on it!" Rikku panicked.

"So that means that it's up to us men to take care of this." Sora smirked as they moved to stand in front of the girls and Donald.

"The girls and Donald will protect Yuna and Tromell while we fight this machina." Auron commanded.

"Please, be careful everyone." Yuna pleaded.

Everyone nodded before they went to work. The girls and Donald were doing pretty good with protecting Yuna and Tromell, but the boys were struggling against that machina. Every time they attacked the damn thing, it only retaliated by trying to run them over. Kimahri gripped his spear in hand as he ran right for the machina. He tried to jam the system, but the machina only moved forward to try and run him over. Kimahri was quick enough to avoid getting ran over but his tail wasn't so lucky. At that very moment, the big, bad scary Ronso let out one of the least terrifying sound: a long painful meow. Tidus, Sora, Wakka, Goofy, and Auron stared at Kimahri before looking at each other and busting out laughing. Or in Auron's case, chuckling. It only took one menacing glare from Kimahri to shut them up.

The four of them were too distracted with Kimahri's meowing fiasco to notice that the machina was getting ready to fire at them with a Death Machine gun. When they finally turned back to the machina and saw the gun, their eyes widen. The machina released its bullets and chased males down with them.

They were running for a few moments before Sora said; "Man. Doesn't this thing ever run out of bullets?"

"I don't know, but if it doesn't then we're screwed. I kind of wish that we had stopped at that inn. I never realized how tired I was until now." Tidus huffed as they kept running.

"Me too brudda." Wakka agreed.

"Wait guys! I have a plan." Goofy yelled.

"Tell us!" The guys yelled.

"What if we run around in circles?" Goofy suggested.

"That could work." Auron agreed.

"I don't see how running in circles will help us." Sora said.

"It's simple. If we run around in circles around it, den that over grown machina will follow us with its bullets. We can use those bullets to pierce the ice under it and make it fall below us." Wakka explained.

"Then what are we waiting for. Let's do it." Tidus said as he led the Goofy's plan into action.

They ran the machina and as expected, the bullets chased them and pierced the ice. They kept running around the ice until it started to crack, causing the machina to fall below them. The plan worked, but ice started to crack too much. The cracks started making trails toward the men, so they moved out of the way, but Sora, Goofy and Wakka ended up getting caught and almost fell in. Sora was holding Goofy while Wakka was holding onto Sora. Auron, Kimahri and Tidus had to use their strength to pull the three of them out.

"Everyone ok?" Kimahri asked.

"Yeah. I think we're good. I'm just glad that machina is gone." Wakka said as he stood up.

Everyone nodded before turning towards the girls. There were Al Bhed laying on the icy lake while the girls and Donald were standing together. Being cautious about where they were stepping, the guys carefully made their way over there.

"Is everyone alright?" Yuna asked.

"We're fine. What about you?" Tidus asked.

"We are fine. Thanks you ten. I am forever in debated to you for your services. Now please, Lady Yuna. Let us continue onward." Tromell said as he and five other Guado escorted Yuna away.

"_**RIKKU!"**_ The blond man from before called, catching the remaining ten's attention.

They watched as Rikku and the man exchanged words in Al Bhed before the man ran off. "What was that about?" Tidus asked.

"I had to tell him that I was Yuna's guardian. It couldn't be helped." Rikku nervously laughed as she scratched her cheek with her finger.

"How come you know Al Bhed?" Wakka asked.

"Because… I am Al Bhed. That guy you just saw me speaking to was my brother." Rikku said with a sigh.

Wakka was more angry than shocked. He clenched his fists with such anger. _**"Did you guys know…?"**_

"Yeah… We did…" Tidus sighed as he pocketed his hands.

"_**Why didn't you tell me?"**_ The red head growled at Lulu.

"I thought this would be a learning experience for you! You can't go around hating the Al Bhed forever. If I can come to terms with Chappu's death then so can you!" Lulu yelled back.

"_**You know how I feel about them and you go and do this to me! The nerve!"**_ Wakka huffed as he folded his arms and turned his back on them.

Lulu's anger disappeared at the sight of Wakka's face. She moved to place her hand on his shoulder. "Wakka I'm~"

"_**I need to be alone. I'll meet you at the temple."**_ Wakka growled before moving away from Lulu's touch.

The words Wakka said burned in the Black Mage's heart as she watched his retreating back. She felt so stupid and useless. She tried to go after him, but Auron stopped her.

"Let him go ahead. He can use this time to sort out his feelings. It's best to leave him be for now. And, during this time, you should also sort out your feelings."

Lulu looked between Auron's gaze and where Wakka once stood before she finally gave a defeated sigh. "You are right, Sir Auron. This is best."

"Come on. Yuna is waiting for us." Auron said before walking in the same direction Wakka did.

No one needed to nod. They just followed automatically.

…

…

…

"Halt! _**She **_is not allowed in such a holy place." One of the guards of the Macalania Temple sneered at Rikku.

"I am a guardian the summoner Yuna. I have permission and a duty to be here." Rikku said with a glare.

"You damn heathen! How dare you call yourself a guardian when you know that your kind isn't welcomed here!" The other guard snapped back.

"She _**is **_Yuna's guardian. Therefore, she _**has **_permission to enter this facility." Auron said as he pushed passed both guards.

The two guards looked at each other in confusion before sighing in defeat. "You may enter this temple." The first guard sighed.

"Thank you." Rikku said before moving to walk through the doors, but was stopped by the guards's spears.

"But, if you should cause trouble within this holy place…_** then you will suffer the consequences that Yevon will bring down upon you." **_The second guard sneered before they allowed her to pass.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Rikku said with a roll of her eyes.

Once everyone was cleared to enter, the group of ten waited in front of the stairs that leads to the Closter of Trails.

"how long do you think we're supposed to wait here for?" Sora asked.

"Until Yuna is done talking with Seymour." Auron asked as he leaned against the wall by the temple's door.

"But, what if she needs our help? I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this whole thing." Ke'Ania said as she rubbed her arms.

"**AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**

"What was that?" Goofy asked as he quickly jumped into Donald's arms, causing them to fall.

"Someone screamed you big idiot. Now, get off of me." Donald grunted while rolling Goof off of him.

"It came from that room over there." Rikku said before everyone took off for said room.

…

…

…

"You alright?" Wakka asked as he helped a lady off the floor.

"That sphere… Lady Yuna dropped when she was in here… it was all a lie… It has to be…" The woman stuttered.

"You saw the sphere Yuna had?" Tidus asked.

She nodded. She dropped it after she left this room. I didn't know what was on it, so I decided not to pry and wait to give it back to her when she was finished in the Closter of Trials. But when I went to put it down, I must've pressed play and saw… and saw…" She started to shake again before she managed to crawl over and drab Ke'Ania by her shoulders. "Please, guardian… Please tell me that what Lord Jyscal said was a lie. There's no way that Lord Seymour~"

Ke'Ania was able to stop her, by grabbing her shoulder and using her reddish-black eyes to calm her. _**"Where is that sphere?"**_

"Over there." The woman answered in a shaky voice.

Ke'Ania quickly, but gently, placed her on the ground before rushing over to grab that sphere. Right when she was about to get it, Tidus, Wakka, and Sora grabbed her and held her in place while Auron grabbed the sphere.

"**LET ME GO!" **Ke'Ania demanded.

"_**What is on this sphere?"**_ Auron glared at the struggling girl.

"I can't tell you that." Ke'Ania answered.

"Why not?" Lulu asked.

"I swore Yuna I wouldn't say anything until she was finished with her plan." Ke'Ania mumbled with her head lowered.

"Why? What's so bad about the sphere?" Rikku asked.

"…"

Ke'Ania refused to talk. The only thing she could do is remain quiet.

"You said that you had a bad feeling, right?" Donald asked as he moved to stand in front of Ke'Ania. The caramel skinned girl only nodded. "Then tell us what's on the sphere. Maybe if you do, then we'll be able to help Yuna, too. We don't want Yuna to get hurt or remain in danger. We're her friends and her guardians. We're supposed to protect her, right? Then how are we supposed to do that if you don't tell us what's planning?"

Everything Donald was saying made sense. Ke'Ania thought that she was protecting Yuna by keeping her word. She thought that she could talk Yuna out of this ludicrous plan, but she couldn't. Yuna had her mind set and Ke'Ania was at a lost. She didn't know what to do anymore. Maybe the best thing to do is tell them and get them to help the both of them. It was at that moment that Ke'Ania realized that she was just as naïve as Yuna.

When she sighed in defeat, the tree boys slowly released her. "You're right, Donald. About everything." Ke'Ania smiled before turning to her allies. "I'm sorry for being just as naïve as Yuna." Ke'Ania closed her eyes and took a deep breath before walking over to Auron and taking back the sphere. "On this sphere is Jyscal's will. He recorded it while in the Thunder Plains, but she received it from Jyscal's unsent spirit. She told me that he must've dropped it while she was sending him. We watched the sphere and what we found was that Jsycal said that he was going to comfort Seymour and fight him. He said that Seymour had been corrupted by power and his life as a hybrid. He blames himself for the way Seymour turned out and planned on stopping him. He also had the intention of going into battle and dying if he couldn't stop his son." Ke'Ania informed as she gripped the sphere harder.

"Wait… So you mean to tell me… that Maester Seymour… killed his own father?" Wakka gasped.

Ke'Ania nodded. "The last thing he asked was for whoever watched this to 'take care' of his son."

"No! That can't be! I don't believe it! You're lying!" Wakka yelled as he gripped the sides of his head and hair.

"It's true! And if you don't believe me, then see for yourself!" Ke'Ania snapped before pressing play. They watched the sphere in complete silence. The people who believed in Yevon and were native to Spira gasped in horrified shock at the truth Jyscal spoke. "See I told you it was true." Ke'Ania sighed before putting the sphere away.

"I just can't believe it." Lulu mumbled.

"So, after watching this, Yuna came up with a plan?" Tidus asked, causing Ke'Ania to nod. "What was it?"

"She wanted to comfort Seymour about the sphere and fulfill Jyscal's last wish. She was going to take care of Seymour." Ke'Ania sighed as she put away the sphere with brown eyes.

"Well, she's daring I'll give her that much." Auron laughed.

"But what she's doing is stupid. We have to help her." Rikku said.

"Then we must go!" Kimahri said before leading them out the room and to the Closter of Trails.

…

…

…

"Damnit." Ke'Ania hissed as they stood at the front of the trials.

"What happened to the trail?" Sora asked.

"Seymour must've disabled it." Lulu suggested.

"Bastard probably knew we were coming." Ke'Ania tsked.

"So what now?" Rikku sighed.

"We have to resolve the trail. If we don't, we won't be permitted inside the chamber." Auron informed.

"Just great. So where do we start?" Tidus asked with his hands on his hips.

"Maybe we should go down this way and see what's down there. Maybe we'll figure out what we have to do." Sora suggested.

They walked down the path until they reached the ground floor. They looked around and saw that there were ice icicles coming out of the ground, three very tall pillars and three spheres. Two of the three spheres were while the other was a Glyph Sphere. They over looked the place one last time and decided that they were at a lost.

"We'll I'm stuck." Wakka said.

"I think I might know what we have to do." Donald said. "There are three pillars, right? Well maybe we have to stick the white spheres in them to form a bridge to the other side."

"Nice observation, Donald. But there's just one problem… I only see two Macalanina Spheres. If your theory is correct, then where is the third sphere?" Rikku asked.

"Hey guys, I see another path down this way. Maybe the other sphere is down there." Goofy hypothesized.

"Nice job Goofy!" Tidus said as he hi-fived Goofy.

"Alright. We know what we need to do, so let's get started." Ke'Ania said as she clapped her hands together.

"Oh no. There are ice icicles blocking the way." Rikku said.

"I'll take care of that." Lulu said before walking over the ice icicles and melting them with her fire powers. "There you go."

"Thanks Lulu. Alright, Sora, Donald, Goofy and I will go down and see what's down there while you guys try and work things out up here." Ke'Ania before leading her comrades below the ground.

When they got down there, they started looking around. "What do you see?" Auron asked them from above.

"There's a broken pillar down here." Sora answered.

"That all?" Wakka asked.

"I found the other Macalania Sphere!" Ke'Ania cheered. "Now if only we can figure out how to get it to the higher level."

Kimahri looked around and spotted the Glyph Sphere before removing it. "What if we use Glyph Sphere?"

"Great thinking, Kimahri." Lulu smiled before taking the sphere. "Alright guys, Imma send down the Glyph Sphere. Try using it to free the last Macalania Sphere."

Lulu threw the sphere down to them, causing Donald and Goofy to run and attempt to catch it. They fumbled with it before they fell to the ground in a heap. "We caught it." Both Donald and Goofy grunted as they held up the sphere.

Sora walked over and grabbed it. "Put it in the hold under the sphere." Ke'Ania said, causing Sora to nod.

When he placed the sphere in the hole, the large alter holding the sphere unfroze and rose to the top. "You did it!" Rikku cheered.

"That's great, but how do we fix the broken pillar?" Wakka asked.

"What if we push this alter down there? And look, it already has a Macalania Sphere inside the alter. Maybe when the two connect it'll complete the pillar and form one of the sections of the bridge." Tidus hypothesized as he patted said alter.

"About time you started using that brain of yours." Auron chuckled.

"Oh ha ha. Just stand back so I can push this alter down there." Tidus said with a roll of his eyes. Everyone moved out of the way and allowed Tidus to push the alter, but when he pushed it he fell and sent the alter flying. "Watch out!" The dirty blond yelled, causing everyone to quickly jump out of the way.

They all watched as the alter hit the wall before sliding to the underground level and being stopped by a couple of tall icicles. "Thanks Tidus!" Sora shouted. He gripped the alter and gave it a shove.

It slid until it was under the other towering pillar. When the two connected, the wire that wrapped around the pillar lit up white and formed the last section of the path.

"It worked. Just like Tidus said it would. I'm impressed." Lulu smiled.

"Toldchya it would." Tidus smiled happily.

"Alright. That's one section formed. Now let's figure out how to do the other two." Auron said as he moved to lean over the edge. "So what do you guys think we should do next?"

"Well, I see another pillar and it looks like it'll form the first section, so that's pretty obvious. And we know how to create the middle section. All we need to figure out is how to get the Destruction Sphere." Ke'Ania said as she moved around the room.

Everyone needed as they moved around the Trails in an attempt to try and find the sphere. Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy searched the lower level while the rest of the group searched the upper level and by the entrance. Rikku and Kimahri went to the entrance to look up there. They used their hands to whip away some of the snow. When Rikku went to whip some of the snow away by the edge, she noticed a purplish glow encased in the pointed top of the tallest ice icicle.

"Hey Kimahri. What do you think _**that **_is?" Rikku asked as she pointed to the tallest ice icicle.

Kimahri leaned over a little and squinted his eyes to get a better look. "Destruction Sphere?"

"You really think so?"

"Kimahri believes so."

"If you say so then." Rikku shrugged. "Hey guys! We've found the Destruction Sphere!"

"Where?" Tidus asked.

"There! In the peak of the tallest ice icicle here." Rikku pointed out.

"Just great. How do you suppose we get it down?" Wakka asked with his hands on his hips.

"I'll use my fire element to melt the ice." Lulu answered with an attitude that said 'obviously'.

She focused her fire element on the tip of the ice icicle before letting it go. The fire melted the ice and freed the sphere.

"I've got it! I've got it!" Tidus yelled as he dived for it, but came up short and ended up skidding on the ice with his face.

"_**I've **_ got it." Auron smirked as he held the sphere in his hand.

"Great." Tidus groaned as he picked his body off the ground.

"OK, so we've got it, but where do we put it?" Wakka asked.

"You sure are asking more questions with attitude than you are helping, buster." Rikku glared.

"Oh, so you don't like the way I'm helping? Fine! Then I won't help!" Wakka huffed with his arms crossed and his back to the group.

"Fine then! We don't need your stinkin' help anyway." Rikku huffed as she did the same thing.

"Stop arguing you two! Yuna needs us. We don't have time to be arguing. The faster we finish this trail, the faster we can get to Yuna and find out the truth about Seymour." Ke'Ania scolded from the level below them.

Wakka and Rikku thought about Ke'Ania's words before sighing in truce. "Fine." The two agreed.

"Good. Now Auron, you need to throw the sphere down here. There's a place I think the sphere can go in." Ke'Ania ordered.

"I'm throwing the sphere down." Auron announced before actually doing it.

Ke'Ania was the one who caught it before moving to place the sphere in the empty pedestal that was attached to the wall. When she did that, a purple-ish line appeared under the snow until it reached a giant pile of icy snow. The Destruction Sphere blew up that pile and reviled a treasure chest.

"Hump. How come we've never noticed that before?" Goofy asked.

"What does it matter? We found the treasure and now we can go help Yuna." Donald cheered as he rushed over to the chest. When he opened it, there was a large, transparent cloak inside. "I got the treasure!" Donald announced as he held the cloak in his hands.

"Great. Now let's finish this trial and go rescue Yuna." Ke'Ania smiled. "Hey guys! You can throw down one more Macalania Sphere!"

Rikku was the one to do this. Sora caught the sphere she dropped before moving to put that sphere in the first pillar. Just like the pillar they reconnected, the wire on this one lit up with white as it traveled to the top and formed the first section.

"Alright. One more left!" Sora cheered before the four of them made their way back to the second level.

They were all smiling at their achievement. Goofy was the one who took the final Macalania Sphere out of its hold and placed it in the final pillar.

"The pathway is complete. Now it's time to go save our summoner." Auron said, causing everyone to nod and race down that path to the Chamber of the Fayth.

…

…

…

"_**Seymour!"**_ Tidus yelled in a fit of rage as he pushed open the double doors.

"So… You've finally managed to catch up. I… kind of… got bored waiting on you ten." Seymour said as he turn around.

Ke'Ania was the one to rush to the front of the group with her Keyblades gripped firmly in her hands. _**"Where's Yuna, you sick freak?"**_ She growled.

"Please lower you're voice. She is fine. She prays for a way to defeat Sin in the chamber." The neon blue haired villain explained.

The angry group of ten glared at the Maester, but stopped when Yuna emerged from the chamber. "What are you guys doing here?" She gasped.

"We're here to save you from that monster." Rikku said with her weapon in hand.

"But how? How did you figure out my plan?" Yuna asked as she made her way to the front of her group of guardians.

"I told them." Ke'Ania answered, never turning his head to the summoner.

"And we also saw Jyscal's Sphere." Tidus finished.

"I see." Yuna sighed with her head lowered.

Auron walked past the sad summoner with his sword draped over his back. When he reached the front, Auron pointed his blade with a deadly glare at Seymour's smirking face. "You killed your father for power. You really are twisted."

"And what if I am?" Seymour calmly shrugged with his smirk still in play.

"Maester Seymour! You shouldn't joke about something like that, ya?" Wakka nervously laughed as he moved to stand next to Auron.

"You saw the sphere, correct? So I can assure you that what I admitted to was no laughing matter." Seymour informed as his smirk merged into a frown.

"No… This… This can't be…" Wakka whispered with his hands on his head. He had always been a faithful follower of Yevon, just like everyone else. But after listening to one of his idols admit something so horrifying… turned his world upside down.

"Oh but it is." Seymour smirked again before turning his attention towards Yuna's tense back. "And surely you, Lady Yuna, knew of this." Yuna nodded. "Tell me… Why did you come here? What other reason did you posses for coming here, other than gaining this temple's aeon?"

Yuna let Seymour's words run through her head before sighing confidence. "I came…" She quickly turned around to face her enemy with a harsh glare. "to do what your father has asked me to do."

"Oh? And… What, might I ask, is that?"

"_**Stop you."**_ The brunette growled with fire burning in her eyes.

"Your eyes are so beautiful when there are filled with so much passion, determination, and resolve." Seymour complimented, causing rage to boil within Tidus's blood. When Seymour took two steps towards Yuna and her guardians, the nine of them (Wakka is still trying to grip the situation) to surround her out of protectiveness. "Ah. It does my heart good to see you people upholding the duties of being a guardian and offering your lives in order to save your summoner. This is such an admirable moment." The blue haired villain sighed.

"Are you just going to stand there and talk all day or are we going to fight you and your two lackeys over there?" Tidus glared with his sword gripped firmly in his hand.  
"Very well then. Sine you are offering your lives…" Seymour lazily flicked his wrist, making the two Guado standing behind him to move on the side of him. "I'll have no choice, but to take them."

"Former Maester Seymour… The people you see protecting me today are not just my guardians, but they are also my friends. I care for these ten people with great love, so I refuse to stand by and watch as you try to kill them." Yuna gripped her staff tightly as she stood in her battle pose. "I will fight you too."

"Good. Then you will die alongside them as well. What a pity… You would've made an excellent bride too." Seymour said as he turned his back to the scene. _**"Get them."**_ He commanded.

The two Guado rushed at the group with the intent of killing them. The ten of them were ready, but when the Guado were close enough, a Blitzball came out of nowhere and knocked them into the wall. Everyone turned and gasped at the scene. The Guado groaned as they tried to get up, but was stopped when an angry Wakka stomped on them and picked up his ball.

"Wakka?" Lulu called.

The orange haired man held his ball in a death grip as anger burned in his eyes. All of that anger was directed towards one man. _**"Maester Seymour… I have always followed the teachings to the letter and looked up to you in admiration. And to this day I still believe in the teachings, but now I see that you're just a corrupt man that should've never become a Maester."**_ With his ball in his hand, Wakka made his way over to the front of the group and got into his battle position. _**"Yuna is not only my summon, but she is also my little sister. The other people in this room are my friends. I'll be damned if you, a Maester, hurts them. I, Wakka, will lay my life on the line to ensure their safety… Even if it costs me my life."**_

Everyone took in the enraged man's words, but it was Lulu that approached him and touched his tensed arm. Both Wakka and Lulu stared into each other's eyes as they spoke.

"Do you really mean all of that, Wakka?" Lulu asked in a soft voice.

"Without a doubt." The man nodded.

"Oh Wakka…" Lulu smiled.

"This moment was sweet and all, but I have other matters to attend to so I must end this battle quickly." Seymour said as he summoned his staff. "Get them." He ordered again.

The Guado charged at them one more time without a moment's hesitation. Wakka threw his ball at one of the Guado. The first one dodged it, but the second one wasn't so lucky. While the ball sent that Guado flying into the wall, the other one summoned a long ice icicle and used it as a sphere. He sent the ice icicle hurling at Wakka's chest, but Lulu stepped in and used her fire element to melt it.

"_**Don't you touch him!"**_ Lulu sneered before sending a powerful fireball hurling at the same Guado.

The smell of burning flesh and that Guado's screams filled the air as he was burning to death. Seymour used his water element to put of the flame, but it was too late. That Guado Guard was dead.

"_**You'll pay for that."**_ Seymour hissed before readying his staff and sending a wave of lightning bolts at them.

Everyone dodged them, fortunately. One almost hit Yuna, but Rikku saved her. "You alright, Yunie?"

"Yes. Thanks to you." Yuna smiled.

"_**Now you're going to get it!"**_ Tidus yelled angrily before charging at his opponent. To save himself , Seymour used his staff to block Tidus's strike. _**"I've had it up to here with you, your smugness, and your attitude!"**_

"That's good to hear…" Seymour smirked before pulling on his staff and releasing two sharp swords and swinging them at Tidus. The blond did not see it coming, but he managed to put some distance between the two of them without getting hurt. "because I've also had it up to here with your meddling."

"Seymour has weapons? Who know?" Rikku shrugged as she pulled a few potions out of her pouch, mixing and shaking them up, and throwing them at the Guado. When it hit, the grenade stuck to his clothing. The Guado panicked and ran around before it detonated. "Ha. Direct hit." Rikku cheered while in her victory pose.

"Who cares if he has weapons, I'll still kill him." Tidus said as he went back to attacking his opponent. Seymour was using both swords to fend off the dirty blond. When they clashed swords again, both men glared into the other's eyes. "I knew there was something wrong about you from the first time I saw you."

"Oh. My sincerest apologizes. I should've done a little bit more acting to stop your suspicions." The blue haired man smirked before pushing the teen back. When Tidus was pushed back, Auron and Kimahri came from nowhere and started swinging their blades. Seymour used one sword to block each of his attackers, but left himself opened. Tidus and Sora saw this and decided to attack together. Seymour's eyes widen before his body moved. The blue haired man did a back flip, releasing the warrior monk and the Ronso and causing the four of them to fall onto one another. Wakka, Lulu, Donald, and Goofy thought it better to attack from a distance, so Wakka and Goofy threw their weapons towards their opponent. It was Lulu who added fire to Wakka's ball while Donald added his ice element to Goofy's shield. Both weapons had hit their target and knocked Seymour down.

He hissed in pain at having a think block of ice freeze his chest while the fire burned him. He managed to get the offending weapons off of him, but he barely had time to react when he saw Rikku and Ke'Ania charging at him with their lightning engulfed weapons. He figured Yuna must've added that element to both the girls' weapons. Her magic wasn't as strong as his, but he knew that if the girls were to hit him with their attack he would be a goner. Seymour watched with wide eyes as Rikku and Ke'Ania rushed for him. Everyone knew what they were doing because when they got close to the boys, Tidus and Sora used their hands to launch them into the air. As they were coming down, both Rikku and Ke'Ania did front flips.

"Watch out Seymour…" Ke'Ania started.

"Because _**this **_is going to hurt… _**a lot**_!" Rikku finished.

The lower to the ground they got, the further they riled their arms back. Right when their weapons were about to go through Seymour's chest, the man rolled out of the way and managed to avoid certain death.

"I see now that I cannot defeat the lot of you alone. It's time to summon my ultimate aeon." And with that, Seymour stood up before reconnecting his staff. "Feel my pain… Come to me Anima."

After Seymour's words, a large chained hook came from the sky and into the ground. Everyone jumped back when a black and red hole surrounded the chain. Their hearts pounded in their chests at the sound of the clanking chin. They watched as the chain began to pull up a giant fish-like creature with chains around its body and a Venus flytrap as its outer shell. When Anima was fully summoned, it gave a mighty roar.

"It's Anima!" Donald quivered.

"That thing looks even scarier in person." Goofy stuttered while he was in Donald's featured arms.

"That's the same aeon Seymour used in Luca. And from what I've read this thing doesn't have an element. So how do we defeat an aeon like that?" Lulu asked.

"Yuna must summon new aeon. Only aeons can defeat other aeons with no element." Kimahri explained.

"Kimahri's right. My and Shiva will take care of Anima. Everyone, please stand back so that I can summon." Yuna gently commanded before moving to stand in position.

When she was ready, Yuna threw her arms out before bring them and her staff back into her body. While she was bringing her arms and staff close to her body, visible wind swirled around her, but stopped when she raised her staff into the air. With a deep breath, Yuna dropped her to the ground, bring large, thick icicles down with her. Everyone gasped at the site of light shining from the ceiling as a transparent figure descended from the light and into the center of the icicles. Everyone guessed that the figure must've been the aeon. They watched as the female aeon's refection showing on the icicles before she destroyed the ice after ripping off her cape and throwing it in Yuna's direction. Yuna caught it gracefully before moving to stand next to her new aeon.

"Please, Shiva… Help us defeat this foe." Yuna pleaded.

Shiva only nodded before gesturing for Yuna to stand back. Yuna did as Shiva commanded, by only moved back enough so that she could still be alongside her partner.

"Ah Shiva, the most beautiful of all the aeons. It's good to see you again. It's a shame I have to destroy you too. Anima, show these two Pain." Seymour commanded.

The large aeon turned its gaze toward Shiva before releasing an attack from its non-bandaged eye. The attack hit the ground because Shiva jumped out of the way. Once she deemed it safe, Shiva used her ice element to climb to Anima's face before punching it in its good eye. The aeon roared in pain as blood poured out of its eye and onto the ground. Shiva wasn't done yet either. She stayed by its face and used her feet to land a barrage of kicks before doing a back flip, creating a hard and sharp ice trail that sliced its face up and shattered. Shiva landed on the ground. She was ready to deliver her final attack.

She touched two fingers to her lips before spinning around in a circle. While she did this, ice began to form at Anima's base. Next, she bent down only to come back up with all of her ice element focused in her left hand. A large ball of ice element surrounded her hand before she riled said hand back and unleashed all of that power on Anima. Deadly ice icicles formed around the aeon and froze it in its place. When it she was sure that Anima was frozen, Shiva came up and snapped her fingers, destroying the ice and Anima along with it. As the aeon died, Pyreflies flew out of its body and into the air.

"Who knew that Shiva was so strong? That power she posses, I must have it." Seymour said as he readied himself for another fight.

"That strength that you've just witness comes from the powerful bond the two of us share. It is not something you can easily." Yuna said harshly.

"You tell him girl!" Ke'Ania cheered.

"Thank you for helping us win against Anima. We'll be able to handle the Maester on our own." Yuna smiled at her new aeon.

Shiva nodded before disappearing in a cold, visible wind.

"Why did you not keep Shiva around? You could've used her in this fight." Seymour questioned.

"We do not need the aid of aeons all the time. We prefer to show our true strength instead of hiding behind the aeons. That is why we will win this battle." Yuna glared again before she unleashed a series of lightning bolts.

Seymour managed to dodge the lightning, but he had a terrible time fighting off the rest of the gang. Donald and Lulu were standing back with Yuna and unleashing other elements. Ke'Ania, Rikku, and the other males were attacking simultaneously. When one was being pushed back, another would come and attack. At this point, everyone was pretty much fine. Seymour was the one who looked like hell. His hair was in disarray, his clothing was shredded and his body was littered with cuts, bruises, and blood. He knew this was the end, but he wasn't still going to fight. Tidus swung his blade and made a nice slice across the man's torso. Next was Auron. He brought his sword down and made a gash along his back. Kimahri ran his spear through his torso before using it to slam him onto the ground. Sora swung his blade and littered Seymour's body with more cuts. Rikku pretty much punched the hell out of the blue haired man's body. When Seymour tried to get back up, Wakka just knocked his down with his ball.

"Give up Seymour. You're done for." Tidus said as he put away his sword.

Seymour tried to get up, but when he did blood was spilling from his mouth. He turned his burly vision towards the group of eleven that caused his death. "Yuna… It looks like… You were the better opponent… after all…" Seymour struggled to say while he tried to stay up.

"I hate to see a dying man. So we're going to put you out of your misery. Have fun in Hell, you sick freak." Ke'Ania glared before Rikku and she used their lightning element to shock him to death.

When they stopped their thunder, Seymour's body fell to the floor. Yuna rushed over to the now dead Maester and looked down at him. She had to see for herself that he was dead. She was on the ground next to his body. She leaned over and closed his eyes. Despite the horrible condition his body was in, Yuna thought that the least she could do was close his eyes for him.

After everyone came down from their high, the reality finally hit them.

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

My sensitive hearing could pick up everyone's shallow and heavy breathing. I was no different. The stress from lack of sleep, traveling, and fighting has really took its toll on my body. I was ready to drop, but I knew I had to stay strong just like everyone else. The atmosphere was thick enough to be cut by a blade. I hate when it gets like that.

"I… I… I can't believe it… We… just killed a Maester…" Wakka's body shook with fright.

Lulu walked over to offer comfort to her friend. "It had to be done Wakka. Like when you said Maester Seymour was a corrupted man and had to be stopped."

"Lulu's right, Wakka. Besides, he attacked us first. He's the bad guy. And our duty is to protect Yuna from bad guys, right?" Tidus offered a comforting smile.

"So what now?" Rikku asked.

"Lord Seymour?" Tromell gasped as he and four Guado Guards walking into the chamber.

"I think we're about to find out." I whispered to the blond.

The worried man ran over to Seymour's dead body and cried. "What has happened here?" No one said a word as we watched Tromell check Seymour's pulse. "He's dead… And _**you **_eleven killed him."

Yuna moved closer to Tromell and Seymour's corpse. "I'm sorry for killing him, but it had to be done. Please… Allow me to send him." Yuna said before picking up her staff.

"No! A traitor like you do not deserve to do such a thing." Tromell glared before turning to the Guado Guards. "Two of you take Maester Seymour out of here." Two guards nodded before doing what they were told. The two guards walked past them without a word. Tromell was last, but before he exited he turned towards us with a death glare. "I suggest you leave this temple. You are no longer welcomed here."

"Tromell, please wait. We have to tell you why we did what we did." Yuna pleaded.

"It does not matter. Maester Seymour is dead. He's never coming back. There's nothing you can say that will justify what you did." The Guado sighed before opening the doors. "Leave this temple… I won't ask a third time."

We all watched him leave with worried expressions. "We should do as he says." Auron said before moving to leave out of the room. We all looked at each other before following the warrior monk.

…

…

…

The plan was simple. All we had to do was go through the completed cloister and leave the temple. Simple right? Well… if there's one thing I've gotten used to since we arrived in Spira, over a month ago, was to _**NEVER **_expect _**ANYTHING **_to be simple. And that realization was only proven right when we exited the trail. We stood at the top of the stairs and stared down a large group of angry Guados.

"Please let us pass." Yuna pleaded.

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow traitors leave this temple." Tromell stated as he stood firm in front of the angry Guado group.

"Wait, I'm confused. I thought you wanted us gone? Well that's what we're going. We're getting the hell out of here. Shouldn't you be fine with that?" Rikku asked.

"I've done some thinking and talking with my fellow Guado. And we've decided that we cannot let you eleven live… Not after what you've done. You've killed Maester Seymour, an honorable man, for no reason. Well, no that I could phantom." Tromell explained.

"Give us a chance to explain." Auron said.

"Yes. We have a sphere that can show you the reason behind our actions." Lulu informed.

"Yeah I have a sphere that~" I searched in frantically for the sphere I had tucked away in my back pocket.

"Oh… Is _**this **_the sphere you were talking about?" Tromell said as he held up said sphere.

"Where did you get that?" I stuttered.

"I picked it off the ground while I was in the chamber. You must've dropped it while you were _**executing**_ our leader." Tromell growled before crushing the sphere in his hands.

"That… was our only evidence…" Yuna mumbled in a sad voice.

"Now you cannot ruin our late leader's reputation." Tromell said before moving off to the side. "Get them."

Kimrahi was the first one to jump into action. He used his spear to cut two Guado down and made the others back away a few steps. _**"No one… will harm Yuna!"**_ The Ronso roared.

"Everyone, cut down who you can so we can escape!" Auron commanded before swinging his sword to slice through two more Guado.

We all followed their lead and created an opening within seconds. We ran out of the temple with Guado hot on our trail. We each took turns saving the group from the Guado attack. When some of them would get too close, one of us would do something to create more of a distance. We were almost at the lake when a group of Guado summoned some ice elemental fiends. Lulu stayed back to fight them off. When they got close enough, she used her fire magic to throw fireballs at them. It created a lot of steam, making Lulu think that she got them all. But, when she turned to continue running, a Guado came out of the steam and shot his ice element at her. She gasped as she fell to the icy ground. Her ankle was frozen in ice. It hurt like hell and she doubted that she could walk right now. She tried to use her fire to try and unfreeze her ankle, but before she could do that, two Guado appeared and tried to attack her.

"Hang on Lu!" Wakka yelled as he threw his ball and knocked them off before the ball came back. The rest of us were right behind him. "You alright?"

"No. One of those Gudao froze my ankle and now I can't walk." Lulu explained.

"What are we going to do? The Guado are getting closer." Yuna nervously questioned.

Sora and I looked at each other before nodding and moving past to stand in front of the rest of the group. We gripped our Keyblades tightly. "We'll hold these guys off for a little bit before catching up." I informed.

"We're not going to~" Rikku started.

"It's better if we stay behind while you guys escape. That way they won't get all of us." Sora said.

"Don't worry. We'll catch up." I smiled before readying myself.

I guess they must've accepted it because the next minute I heard Wakka lift Lulu into his arms before the rest of the group continued their escape.

"Hey Ke'Ania, did you see the gleam in Lulu's eyes when she looks at Wakka?" Sora asked with a smirk.

"Yeah, but I wonder what it means." I smirked.

"How about we ask her when we get out of this whole mess." Sora smirked too.

"Don't you mean if?" I asked.

"No. Because failure… is _**NOT **_an option." Sora said.

"Right." I smiled with a nodded. We watched the Guado get closer. "Let's do a one hit duel combo. Create your fireball and I'll throw my lightning covered Keyblades inside." I suggested.

"I know I didn't pay much attention in science class, but I do remember him saying that lightning and fire is a horrible thing to mix."

"Yeah for them. If everything works out they'll literally be blown away." I explained. "Ok, get ready."

The Guado were charging full speed at us while Sora and I were getting ready. Sora focused his fire element to the edge of his Keyblade while I did the same with mine. I think they realized what we were doing because they started to retreat.

"_**Oh no you don't." **_Sora growled before jumping up and releasing his fireball.

I was right behind him by throwing my Keyblades into the ball of fire. It flew towards them and hit them directly. I smirked at the screams of the Guado that were caught in the blast. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was affective. When the dark cloud disappeared, there weren't any Guado left. Our Keyblades returned to us and we dismissed them.

"Great job, Sora." I cheered .

He nodded. "Let's go catch up to them."

I nodded before running after him.

…

…

…

"That was fast." Tidus said when we finally caught up to them.

"We did a one-hit duel combo. When the dust cleared, there weren't any of them left." Sora explained.

"So where are we headed to anyway?" I asked.

"We head to the Macalania Woods. We hide there." Kimahri said.

"Nice plan." Rikku said with her eyes rolled.

"Do you have a better plan?" Auron asked in an annoyed voice.

"To Macalania Woods!" Rikku nervously laughed.

By this time, we were just crossing the iced lake, being mindful of the cracks and giant hole in it from when the guys fought that deadly machina.

"Hey guys look!" Donald shouted, causing us to stop.

On the hill there were two Guado standing there while Tromell walked in front of them. "Halt! You will do no further!"

"How did you get a head of us?" Rikku asked.

"There's an entrance only we Guado know of. I used that to get here and stop your advance." Tromell informed.

"Now that's just cheating." I grumbled.

"It does not matter. This is where you will be buried anyway." Tromell said before turning to the two Guado Guards. "Do what I have instructed you to do: summon the Wendigo."

"Yes." The two said before they focused their magic.

Before our very eyes, a large, cloth-wearing snow beast appeared. One of the Guado pointed its long hand towards us, giving the beast a command. The beast just jumped onto the ice with a growl.

"Run!" Yuan yelled.

We didn't want to sit around and wait to see what will happen, so we ran and ran fast. But, it wasn't fast enough. Out the corner of my eye, I saw the beast cock its fist back before slamming it onto the ground. There were cracks coming at us fast. We would've gotten away had the crack not go towards the hole already created. More cracks came at us and shattered the ice beneath our feet. We all screamed as we plummeted to the endless ground.

That's when I got an idea. "Everyone, we need to make ice paths!" I yelled.

"What good will that do?" Wakka asked.

"We can use them to slide safely to the ground below us! It's better than plummeting to our deaths!" I yelled again.

Everyone agreed. Lulu created one for her and Wakka. Yuna made one for Tidus, Auron, Rikku, and herself. Donald made one for Kimahri, Goofy, and himself. I made one for Sora and me. With these four ice paths made, we were able to slide down to the ground safely.

At the bottom of the lake, we turned our heads to the sky and realized just how far we had fallen. After Wakka put Lulu down, she began the process of trying to unfreeze her leg.

"Do you need help?" Donald offered.

"No. I was dumb enough to allow this to happen. I'll be the one to take care of it." Lulu said in an aggravated tone, but when she saw Donald's hurt expression her tune quickly changed. "But, thanks for offering." She smiled while patting her head.

"So now what do we do?" Rikku asked.

"I don't know." Yuna sighed in defeat.

"Ke'Ania, can't you use your wind magic to fly us up there?" Lulu asked me.

"No. My supply is almost drained. I only have enough for me, and even then I don't know if I will be able to make it all the way up there." I sighed with a slow shake of my head.

"Great, just great! So you're pretty much saying that we're trapped down here?" Wakka yelled with his hands on his head.

"Calm down." Lulu sighed.

"Calm down! Calm down! How am I supposed to calm down when we're going to die down here!" Wakka yelled before turning toward Rikku. "This is all your fault!"

"How is this my fault? I didn't tell that machina to attack us! I wasn't the one who killed Lord Jyscal and turned Seymour evil! I didn't tell a grouped of pissed off Guado to chase after us! And I sure as hell wasn't the one who made us fall under the damn lake! So tell me Wakka… **HOW THE HELL IS ANY OF THIS MY FUCKIN FAULT?**" Rikku's breathing was labored when she was done yelling.

"Please stop fright." Yuna quietly asked.

"It's because you're Al Bhed. And, from past knowledge, it is a proven fact that whenever Al Bhed are around, bad things happen. I bet that if you weren't around, none of this would've happened." Wakka hypothesized.

We all just looked at each other before turning to look at Wakka with a 'what the fuck' look. "You're kidding right?" I asked.

"…"

"That is completely ridiculous and totally unfair!" Rikku yelled again.

"Wakka, you hardheaded, ignorant baboon! How could you think of something so stupid?" Lulu yelled.

"That's just how I feel." He huffed with his arms crossed."

"You're a complete moron!" I yelled.

We all started yelling at each other for one thing or another before we heard someone whistling. I covered my ears, to protect them from the high frequency. We all turned to see that it was Yuna who whistled.

"Now that I have your attention, there's something I'd like to say." She took a deep breath before continuing. I'm sorry about everything. Things weren't supposed to happen this way. I just wanted to ask Maester Seymour to turn himself in to Yevon's judgment. If he were to do that, then I would marry him. I was willing to do anything it takes to try and convince him to do the right thing and repent." Yuna calmly explained with a sigh at the end.

"And… what did he say?" Tidus asked.

"I got a chance to talk with him before going to pray to the Fayth, but he just said that he would think it over while I obtained my aeon. I don't know why, but I kept getting the feeling that he was planning to kill me too. I think, if you guy had not shown up, he would've killed me. But now I won't know. After everything that has happened, I sometimes wonder if any of it was worth it. Now Maester Seymour is dead, we're branded traitors, and are probably going to die down her because of me." Yuna sounded like she was almost about to cry.

"Enough." Auron said as he moved to stand in front of Yuna.

"But Sir Auron~" The summoner was trying to plead.

"No buts. You are a summoner. You took an oath to save Spira from the Sin's ruin, correct? And as a summoner you should know that time is not on your side, especially now. You don't have time to waste mopping around."

"Now that's just mean and insensitive." I said with my arms crossed.

"No. He's right. I am a summoner and should start acting like one." Yuna nodded with determination on his face.

"Good. Now, are you willing to go on?" Auron asked.

"Yes, but I wonder if Yevon will allow it?" Yuna asked.

"Yevon, the temples, and the teachings do not give the summoner power, the Fayths do. Yevon cannot stop us."

"Auron is right. You can get down about being a traitor. You promised to save Spira and that's what you're doing. And who knows… maybe the priests will see that and erase that traitor name from your record." Sora smiled with hope as he laced his fingers behind his head.

"Maybe you're right. But, the first thing we have to do is go to Bevelle and speak with Maester Mika and explain everything. He might be able to overturn everything." Yuna suggested.

"Nice plan, but there's just one~ problem… How the hell do we get out of here?" Tidus asked.

"We'll figure out something. We just have to stay positive." Rikku smiled.

"Wonderful." Wakka rolled his eyes.

"You're too edgy. Just listen to the Hymn and let it calm you down while the rest of us think of a way out of here." Lulu suggested.

"Yeah ok." Wakka sighed before taking a seat.

"Hey Ke'Ania. I wonder if we can find that machina we defeated down here?" Sora smiled.

I lightly hit him over the head with my fist. "How about you use that brain of yours to help us figure a way out of here instead." I sighed.

"Right. Sorry." My crush nervously while rubbing his head. I turned to walk away, but stopped when I felt a rumbling. "Do you guys feel that?"

"Yeah." Tidus nodded.

"The Fayth stopped singing." Lulu said before looking around. "What's going on?"

The ground started to shake harder, causing some of us to fall to the floor. "Sin is here!" Rikku screamed.

We all screamed when we saw the giant fish-like creature heading our way.

"Its toxin. Watch out!" Lulu yelled.

I don't really remember what happed after that. It was all a blur. And, just like everyone, Sin was the last thing I saw before blacking out.

…

…

…

When I woke up I was burning up and dehydrated. I opened my eyes to see that I was lying in a pile of sand. There were only two places I could think of I could be: a sandbox or a desert. And, knowing this place, it's probably the latter. I lifted my head, but regretted it. My head was pounding so much. I tried to fight off the pain and stand up. That was dumb. I was too dehydrated to even stand, but I did. I stood and stumbled until I fell back on my knees. While I was trying to shake the headache, I saw four bury figured moving. I tried to focus. It was in vain. Two of the figures were blue while the other two were yellow orange. I thought I was just imagining things, so I did the only thing I could do… try and find Yuna. I turned my head to the right and saw a brown and purple blur. I crawled over and discovered that it was Yuna. I don't know how hot or dehydrate she was, but I knew that she was still alive. I tried to call for help, but my voice was gone and my headache only increased. That's when I also heard grunting. I turned my head back to the figures only to see that the yellow orange ones fall to the ground while the blue ones made their way over to us. I didn't know what to do and at this point I couldn't care. My body and mind was giving out anyway. All I wanted to do is sleep.

I rolled over and lazily draped my limp arm over my eyes to shield them from the blazing sun. When I removed my arm, the two figures were standing over us. "Who are you?" I asked before finally passing out. But before my eyes could completely close, I could've sworn I saw the faces of two Guado Guards. But, then again… it could've been just my mind messing with me again.


	28. Beating the Heat

**Warning for This Chapter: **Violence. Cussing. Murders.

**PLEASE READ!**

**Author Note: **People have been bringing to my attention the power difference between Sora and Ke'Ania. I wanna make something clear before continuing. The only reason for that is because she has something hidden inside of her that gives her a big advantage. On top of that she's been practicing with her powers since she was a young girl with Raven and Saedi and on her own time (like it was clearly stated in previous chapters), so of course she knows more about magic and is more powerful than Sora, a novice. I tried to even it a little by giving him a powerful fire attack, but I now see that maybe Ke'Ania is too powerful. I can't decrease that, because of her circumstances, but during Ke'Ania's temporary absence from the story, Sore will be learning more magic and a new ability. I will also sped up Sora's magic and power lessons so that some of you don't think that I'm focusing just on increasing Ke'Ania's powers, magic and abilities. **FAIR WARNING:** Any abilities that Ke'Ania will use in the future are either abilities that she already knew, but there will be rare times where she will learn something new. I will warn you guys ahead of time, or you guys and ask or mention anything about it n your reviews or private messages. Another fair warning is that Sora's progress won't gradually increase overnight, that's just unrealistic. I don't care if it is Fanfiction or not. But, it will increase at an appropriate pace, so please be patient if you're not satisfied with Sora's current level.

**Author Note #2: **I will also start showing more insight to the relationships that will be made known throughout this story. If you have any concerns or worries, please don't be afraid to message me.

**Author Note #3: **From here on out, I will start making previews for any upcoming story I have (this does not include one-shots because I see no reason to do so). I will also start treating each chapter as if it is an episode. So at the end of each chapter I start to put a mini-summary for the next chapter. The first part of **'Author Note #2'** is for the people who read my other stories.

Anyway. I won't hope you up anymore. So, without further ado… Here's the well overdue Chapter 26 of the Secret Kingdom Hearts…

**Chapter 25: Beating the Heat**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

"_Ouch. My head."_ Were my first thoughts after I woke up.

The next thing I noticed was that I lying in a pile of sand. I lifted up my head and held it with my hands while looking around. All I could see was nothing but sand until I turned around. My mind pretty much fell into ecstasy at the sight of the oasis. With what little strength I had, I scurried over and dipped my head in the water and drunk it until I was satisfied.

"Ah~ Much better." I sighed in relief before looking further out. Floating in the middle of the oasis was a body. They looked familiar. "Tidus?" I called, but the person didn't move. Without wasting another minute, I swam over to the blond idiot and pulled him to shore. He wasn't breathing, so I had beat on his chest. After a few seconds of doing that, he sprung to life and spat the water he inhaled at me. "Nice way to treat the guy that just saved your life." I groaned before shaking my head.

"Sorry." Tidus nervously said as he helped me stand. "So, do ya know where we are?"

"Not a clue. I was hoping you'd might." I said while shaking my head.

"Well… The only place I could think of is some kind of desert." Tidus answered. "I don't know anything beyond that." He rubbed the back of his head before turning to me. "Have you spotted anyone else?"

"No. I actually just woke up myself. But…" I walked over to where I noticed that another spot on these sands was disturbed. "I have a feeling that Ke'Ania and probably Yuna was here too."

"How do you know?"

"Ke'Ania and I are kind of connected. That's how I know that she's been somewhere, but my senses aren't as strong as hers. Right now, I'm only basing it off of a faint trace and a hunch." I explained.

"Even if it is a hunch, it's better than nothing. So that must also mean that the others have got to be around here somewhere. Wherever _**HERE **_is." He asked. "Come on."

We started moving. "How do you think we got here?" I asked.

"Sin brought us here."

"But how?"

"Now that I don't know. Maybe if we find Auron he'll be able to tell us. He knows Sin more than anyone else." Tidus informed.

I pretty much left it at that. We continued to walk until I heard something. "You hear that?"

"Yeah. It sounds like a bird flapping its wings." Tidus added.

"If that's the truth, then I would hate to meet the bird." I cringed.

"Come one. It might be attacking one of our friends." Tidus said as he pulled out his sword and started running in the direction of the sound.

I only groaned before summoning my Keyblade and following him.

…

…

…

It turns out that Tidus was right. There was a giant black bird attacking Lulu and Wakka.

"Lulu! Wakka! Need some help?" I yelled as we kept running.

"Please. This thing is a bit too much for us, ya." Wakka nervously laughed.

"We'll take it from here!" Tidus yelled as we took our positions.

The bird looked to damn big. "What the hell does this thing eat?" I asked.

"Who cares? Just kill it!" Lulu yelled/commanded.

The bird came flying at us and tried to eat us, but we were able to get out of the way. I guess not getting its dinner pissed it off because he did a back flip before flying over us, creating a powerful gust of wind. Tidus and I stuck our swords into the sand to try and stay grounded. I had to close my eyes, so I couldn't see what was going on with Wakka and Lulu. When we opened our eyes, the bird was flying above us.

"We have to kill it! All this dust is making it impossible to see!" Tidus yelled.

"I know, but how do we defeat it?" I asked.

"When Wakka and I were fighting it, the bird seems most effected by lightning." Lulu informed. "It would've been easier for us to defeat it if we had the others with us." The raven haired mage sighed.

"Don't worry, Lu. We're going to kill this thing and find them as soon as we're done here." Wakka smiled before bending down and rolling his ball around in the sand.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm covering my ball in sand. That way, when I throw it in its face and hit it in its eye, it'll be temporarily blind. When it comes down, you and Tidus should run towards it and used your blades to slice of its wings. It'll be defenseless and easily open for Lulu to finish it off with her lightning element." After he was done explaining, Wakka stood up, grinning, with his Blitzball covered in sand.

"That's… actually a good plan. I'm impressed." Lulu smiled.

"I know right! I told you that there was a brain inside this thick skull of mine." Wakka grinned harder as he knocked on his head.

"Um guys? I know that this is a happy moment, but I think we wanna start with this plan already." Tidus said as he readied his sword.

"Why?" We all asked.

"Because that bird is getting ready for another attack!" The dirty blond yelled.

We watched as the bird took to the skies and did a back flip before flying toward us. "Alright guys, let's put the plan into action."

Wakka skipped back a little bit before throwing the ball at the bird. It screeched in pain from being hit in the face and being blinded. It flew in all directions before finally crashing onto the ground in front of us. Sand lifted and whirled around us, causing us to cover our eyes. We uncovered our eyes after the sand cleared. The bird was using its wings to try and clear the sand out of its eyes. I turned to Tidus, who nodded at me. We tightened our grip on our weapons before running towards it. I was on the right while was on the left. We worked like a team. Both of us let or powerful yells as we made clean cuts through its wings. Black blood leaked out of its wounds and onto us, but we didn't care. When we were finished, it let out horrifying screams as everyone watched its severed wings land on the ground. With more than half of the plan done, it was up to Lulu to finish it off. Lulu moved towards the bird before raising her left arm and bringing it back down, causing multiple lightning bolts to strike it where its heart should be. Her aim was dead on because after the lightning bolts disappeared, so did the bird.

"Thank Yevon that that thing is history!" Wakka cheered as he put his ball away in its pouch.

"That's wonderful, but I would feel even better if we weren't covered in that bird's black blood!" I yelled.

"I'll clean you up. Hold still." Lulu said as she walked over to us. She waved her hand, causing water to drench us, before calling it back. Then, she used her fire element to dry us. "There you go. All clean."

"Thanks." Tidus and I sighed in appreciation.

"Have you guys seen anyone else?" Tidus asked.

Wakka and Lulu slowly shook their heads. "No. We were actually hoping that you guys had seen any of them." Lulu confessed.

"I can kind of sense Ke'Ania's presence around the place where we woke up, but it's faint. I have a feeling that maybe Tidus, Yuna, Ke'Ania and I washed up on the same place." I started.

"If that's' true, then why aren't they with you two?" Wakka asked.

"I don't know, but they must be around here somewhere. I just know it." Tidus encouraged with a smile.

Wakka, Tidus and I nodded, but Lulu's expression turned into a worried one. "You don't know that." She mumbled.

"Excuse me?" Tidus asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't know that they're fine! The only evidence that makes you think that is the fact that Sora's weak connection, a hunch, and idiot's hope. You're a bunch of fools for believing such nonsense." She said as she turned away.

Tidus and I wanted to be mad, but we couldn't. Her sadden, worried, and teary eyes had stopped us. She was feeling what all of us were feeling on the inside. It kind of shocked us to see her almost breakdown like that. She, besides Auron, is usually the cool headed one. She's usually the one to calm the rest of us down. To see her fall apart made my hope decrease a little. The three of us felt bad for her, but it was Wakka that moved to hold Lulu in his arms. She tried to fight him, but he just held her close. Eventually, she tired herself out and stopped fighting. Her hands moved up to his chest before she began to lightly cry.

"Shhhh it's ok, Lu. I know, you're scared and worried for them. We are too, but you have to be positive and hopeful until we know for sure that the worse has come. Until then, we have to just hope that everything will work out for the best, ok? Shhhh. I know. It's ok." Wakka whispered into her ears to calm her down.

We waited for Lulu to finish. While we stood there and watched them, my mind began to wonder, and I think Tidus's did the same. Images of Ke'Ania flashed across my face. When she smiled, when she cried, screamed, yelled, fought, hit, laughed, slept… every expression she ever wore crossed my face…

"_And I thought that she looked beautiful with each one. The way she did everything made my body tingle in an innocent way. It felt like she shocked me with her lightning element and now its zapping every cell in my body. She was… there are no words to describe it. I just… I just love her… I guess that's all there is to it. I love her… but she can't know that… at least not now, anyway."_

A few minutes passed before Wakka pulled Lulu back so that he could whip away her tears. It made me think of when I did that for Ke'Ania.

"Come on Lulu. Let's go find the others. Maybe they've seen them." Wakka's smile made Lulu smile.

Together, Tidus, Wakka, and Lulu walked away from the battle site. But I was the one that turned around to stare at the oasis Tidus and I washed up on. I tried my hardest to try and sense Ke'Ania's presence again, but when a gust of wind came and blew the disturbed sand away, it also blew away the faint hint I had too. I depressed me a little bit and my hope decreased more.

"_It makes me wonder if maybe Lulu was right and that I'm just a hopeful fool."_

"Sora! You coming?" Tidus called.

"Yeah!" I called back with a sigh. I took one last long look at the oasis before moving to catch up with them. _"Please be ok, Ke'Ania."_

…

…

…

The desert heat pounded down on us. Tidus, Wakka, and I took off our jackets while Lulu used her hair tie to tie up her dress. Whenever we would get dehydrated, Lulu would water us down with, but when she started becoming delirious her magic wasn't coming anymore. We were too far from the oasis, so from that point on… we were victims to the heat.

We've been walking around for hours and we still haven't found anyone yet. Soon we started dropping onto the hot sand. I knew that I had to find everyone, but I was to thirty to continue. All I wanted to do was pass out.

"Hey. Do yall see what I see?" Tidus said.

We all looked up to see a blur of blue, white, and black. "Yeah, but what are we looking at?" Wakka asked as he tried to get up.

"Yeah. All I see are blurs." I added.

"I think… they might be… Kimahri, Donald, and Goofy." Lulu panted.

"Let's see." I grunted as I tried to stand. Once I was finally standing, I raised my hands to my mouth. **"KIMAHRI! DONALD! GOOFY!"** I yelled before falling back down.

"Sora!" I heard someone yell before the blurs started running towards us. When the blurs became more clearer, our three friends' faces came into view. "We've been looking everywhere for you guys." Goofy smiled.

"Donald… do you have any water?" Tidus panted like a dog.

"Yeah. We're dying out here." Wakka agreed.

"I'm only able to give water to one person. So, I'll give it to Lulu. Once she's hydrated, she'll be able to supply us all. " Donald said before doing it.

Once Lulu was feeling better, she was able to cool all of us off and reenergize us. "Thanks Lu." Wakka smiled, causing Lulu to blush a little.

"You know where Yuna is?" Kimahri asked.

"Sorry, but no. We've been looking for her and Ke'Ania. We were hoping that maybe they might've been with you." I sighed.

"Kimahri is awful guardian." The Ronso sighed with his head lowered.

"It's not your fault." Lulu offered a light smile and a hand on his shoulder. "There was nothing we could do. The only thing we can do is try and find her."

"So, if Yuna and Ke'Ania aren't with us or your group, then where are they?" Donald asked.

"Let's hope that they're with Rikku and Auron then." I said before moving to stand in front of everyone. "Let's keep moving. The more we stand here, the more the heat will get to us." I started moving straight.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Lulu asked.

"No, but my gut says we should keep moving forward." I answered without stopping.

"_We have to find them… We have to."_

…

…

…

Between Lulu and Donald, we were hydrated the whole time. Hours passed and no one knew what time it was. The sun was still high in the sky so I guess it has to have been sometime in the afternoon. Along the way, we faced off against a few fiends, but we have yet to see anything like that big bird thing again. We ran into some real trouble when machina showed up though.

Lulu and Donald couldn't fight with us. They had to conserve their magic for the remainder of the journey, so we were on our own… and we're in some serious trouble. Without their lightning magic added to our weapons, our attacks were pretty much useless. Whenever we attacked, either our weapon would bounce right off or it would only scratch it. We were sitting ducks.

"Need some help?"

We looked up to see Riku and Auron standing behind the machina.

"Rikku!" We all cheered.

"Don't worry guys, I'll handle this." Rikku smiled before moving to her first Machina. She worked fast. While she was manually disabling one, she used her lightning magic to shut it down. When it came to the last machina, it tried to stab her, but it missed when she flipped over it. When she landed behind it, her magic fingers went to work until it was no longer moving. "No machina can defeat an Al Bhed." She smirked as she dusted her hands off.

"It's good to see you again." I smiled.

"You too. I don't know how much longer I could've put up with Mr. Sourpuss over there." She said as she jerked her finger back before looking around. "Hey, where's Yunie and Ke'Ania?"

"They're not with you?" Lulu asked in shock.

"No. We thought that they might've been with you two." Tidus said.

"So, you mean to tell me that no one knows where Yuna or Ke'Ania is?" Auron asked.

Everyone looked around in embarrassment, except Rikku. "I… might know where they are."

We all turned to face her. Auron was the one that got in her face. _**"Where…?"**_

"It's a secret."

Auron's hazel eyes glared harder the closer he got to her. _**"Where…?"**_

"Fine… I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to tell." Rikku said. We all nodded, except for Wakka, who only glared. "And no glaring, either."

"Wakka, just promise so that we can go find them." I groaned.

Wakka thought it over before finally sighing in defeat. "Fine, I promise."

"This place that we are in is called Bikanel Island. There's a place near here we Al Bhed call Home. While we were all unconscious other Al Bhed might've came and rescued them and taken them there." Rikku explained.

"Rescued? It seems more like a kidnapping to me. If they _**'rescued'**_ them, then why didn't they take us too?" Wakka asked in rage.

"I don't know, but I intend to go there and find out myself." Rikku said with determination in her voice.

"So you know how to take us there?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah. I know exactly where to go. Just follow me. We're actually not that far from there." Rikku smiled before leading us forward.

…

…

…

She led us in a straight path for what seemed like forever. We still had Lulu and Donald giving us water while Rikku also gave us some of her previsions, which we later found out how Auron and Rikku survived in this heat. We were getting tired again and starting to wonder if the heat was affecting Rikku's sense of direction.

"Um Rikku…? Are you sure you know where you're going?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah. We've been walking for hours and we're still not there." Donald whined.

"Rikku lost?" Kimahri questioned.

"No! I know where I'm going! If my calculations are correct, then Home should be just over this sand dune." Rikku said as she started climbing the sand dune.

We climbed up the dune, but had to sprint when Rikku screamed.

"Rikku?" We all yelled.

The girl was practically frozen in place, and when we got to the top of the dune… we could see why she screamed. Apparently, the place she called Home was being attacked and most of it was on fire or destroyed.

"Let's go see if we can do anything." Wakka said with a hand on her shoulder.

Rikku nodded before we all sprinted down the dune and into a horror field.

…

…

…

We all stopped dead in our tracks at the sight before us. It had already looked pretty bad from where we were standing on that sand dune, but the sight down here was worse. Blood, dead bodies of both Guado, Al Bhed, and fiends, weapons, and fragments of buildings and other things littered the ground.

"What's happening here?" Lulu asked.

"I don't know." Rikku said in a panicked voice.

"Rikku…?" An injured Al Bhed man hoarsely whispered before falling to the ground.

""Keyakku!" Rikku yelled before running over to his side and supporting his head and neck. I'm guessing that he's a friend of hers. "Keyakku! What's happening here? Who's attacking us?" I was at a lost because I couldn't understand their language.

"Yevon… Guado… Don't know… where they came from…" Was all he said before dying.

The look on Rikku's face was filled with sadness and shock. She placed her dead Al Bhed friend on the floor before standing with her head lowered.

"What did he say?" Donald asked.

"He said that Yevon and the Guado are attacking us." Rikku sniffled.

"But why?" Tidus asked.

"_**It's because those damn Guado want the summoners."**_ A bald man said as he approached us.

"Summoners?" I asked.

He nodded before looking down at Keyakku and shaking his head. "They found out about the Summoner Sanctum and came here to destroy it." He looked up at us with determination and leadership in his eyes. "These your friends?"

"Yes. This is the group of guardians I've been traveling with." Rikku nodded.

"Glad you're here. Now, let's go kick those Guado out of our Home!" He shouted before handing Rikku a little device. "Wear this. I'll use this to contact you when need be." Rikku nodded as she put the device in her ear. When it was in, the bald man turned and left through a metal door.

"Who that?" Kimahri asked.

"His name is Cid. He's the leader of the Al Bhed… and my father." Rikku confessed.

"Let's go. We have to save Yuna, Ke'Ania, and your Home, right?" Wakka said.

"Right! Follow me!" She cheered before leading us through the same door Cid went through.

…

…

…

"Yuna! Ke'Ania! Where are you guys?" Auron yelled as we entered through the door.

"This place is in shambles. How are we supposed to find our way through all this rubble?" Lulu asked.

"I know the way like the back of my hand! You just have to stick close to me and be ready just in case we run in to any of those lousy Guado." Rikku said as we all pulled out our weapons. "Alright! This way!"

"_**Halt! You will go no further."**_

We turned around to see a Guado with three Fire Bombs floating nearby. "How dare you invade our Home! I'm going to make you pay for that!" Rikku growled.

We ready ourselves for a fight. Donald and Lulu handled the Bombs while Wakka handled the Guado. We watched as Wakka killed the Guado with one hit.

"That's for endangering other people." He growled.

It didn't take long for Lulu and Donald to finish off the Bombs. Once they were done, Rikku led us through another door that took us underground.

…

…

…

"This place is falling apart." Auron stated.

"Damn Guado… What are they thinking?" Wakka snapped.

"I hope everyone is ok." Rikku sighed.

"_**Rikku? Can u hear me?"**_ Cid asked through the communicator.

"Yes. What is it, father?" We didn't hear anything after that until Rikku sighed again. "I understand." She sighed as he cut the communicator off.

"What's happening now?" Lulu asked.

"We have to get underground to the Summoner Sanctum now! Follow me!" Rikku shouted as she pointed down another flight of stairs.

I noticed a large fiend coming up behind her, causing me to summon my Keyblade and run towards her. "Rikku, watch out!" I shouted before jumping over her and piercing it through its skull.

"Thanks." She panted.

"Get down, Sora!" Goofy shouted.

I did as I was told and watched as Goofy shot his shield right into a Guado's chest.

"Thanks, Goofy." I sighed in relief,

"It's not over." Auron said.

Another large fiend came running at us with its teeth showing. Auron stepped up to the plate. The fiend growled before running towards Auron. The warrior kept his cool and when the moment was right, Auron lifted his sword and sliced the fiend in half without even blinking.

"He's so cool." Donald and goofy said in amazement.

"Great work guys. Now let's go. The Summoner Sanctum is this way." Rikku said.

She turned around and started walking off until Tidus stopped her.

"Rikku? Quick question… What exactly _**IS **_the Summoner Sanctum?"

"Yeah. You told us that it's here and the reason why Guado are attacking you guys, but you never told us just _**WHAT**_ is it." I added.

At this, Rikku took a deep breath before turning around with a sad expression. "The Summoner Sanctum is where we keep summoners safe from the people of Spira."

"So you kidnap them and bring them here in an effort to protect them?" Auron's question seemed more like a statement.

Rikku slowly nodded.

"I understand why you guys did it." Wakka sighed. "But, you know that it's wrong."

Rikku nodded again. "We just thought that~"

"I'm confused." Tidus spoke out.

"Yeah. I mean why would you want to bring them all the way out here to protect them?" Donald asked.

"Yeah? Aren't we guardians supposed to be doing that?" Goofy asked too.

"I know that summoners might get hurt on their pilgrimage, but that's not an excuse to kidnap them in order to keep them safe. If that's the case, then you might as well kidnap all of Spira. You guys need the summoners to defeat Sin, right? So it doesn't make any sense keeping the only people who can do that locked up here. You Al Bhed should've let us guardians handle protecting our summoners, because if we do our job right, then the summoners would be safe. Right?" I looked around and noticed that everyone involved wanted to say something, but decided against it. "Right?" Tidus shouted again, hopping to get an answer… I hopped for one too.

Wakka was the only one that looked around and noticed just how damage and falling apart this place actually was. He sighed before walking in front of Rikku and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry to say this, Rikku, but this place done for."

Rikku nodded before whipping away a tear from her eyes. "You were right Wakka. We Al Bhed weren't always like this. A long time ago, Sin came and destroyed the island we originally called Home. We were scattered for a long time before my father, Cid, devised a plan to bring all of us together again. He said that if we worked hard enough, then we could be reunited again. And it did work. For five years, we worked our fingers to the bone to reconstruct what we lost. And, after those long and hard five years, we did have our home back. It pains me to see that, once again, we'll lose our Home." Rikku sniffled and while whipping her tears away. "Why did it have to turn out this way…?" She sobbed.

"_**You still didn't answer our questions."**_ Tidus growled with glaring eyes.

Rikku whipped one last tear away before looking up at Tidus, Donald, Goofy, and I. "You will see for yourself when we reach the Summoner Sanctum. Follow me." Was all Rikku said before turning to walk down the stairs.

Wakka and the rest of the group followed behind her. The four of us stayed behind for a little bit. We threw confused and worried looks at each other before following them too.

…

…

…

"_**YUNA! KE'ANIA! PLEASE BE HERE!"**_ Rikku shouted as we entered the Summoner Sanctum.

"**YUNA! KE'ANIA! WHERE ARE YOU?"** We all shouted as we looked around for the two missing girls.

"_**They're not here… As you can see."**_We heard Dona say. We turned to her and watched as she stood up and place one hand on her hip. "Hello again."

"Dona? You kidnapped Dona too?" Tidus angrily yelled.

"Barthello has been looking for you." Donald said.

"Yeah. How did you get here anyway?" Goofy asked.

"We were on our way to Macalania Temple when an explosion occurred and separated us. When I woke up, Al Bhed found me and told me that I wasn't safe in Spira. I begged them to take me to where Barthello, but they wouldn't. Next thing I knew, I was here." Dona explained.

"That is similar to how I got here as well." Isaaru stated as he and Pacce walked up to us. We looked behind them and noticed that there were at least five Al Bhed bodies lying around the room. "Please wait until we perform the Sending."

"Some fiends and Guado came to attack us. They defended them off, but lost their lives in return. It's the least we could do for them." Dona sighed before her and Isaaru started dancing.

This was the first time I had ever seen anyone, other than Ke'Ania and Yuna perform a sending. It wasn't as beautiful as when they did it, but it still had the same sad affect.

"Hey, I remember you. Your Lady Yuna's guardians, right?" We all nodded. "You any of you tell me what sacrifice means? Right before they died, the Al Bhed said something about the summoners being sacrificed. They also said that it was inhuman making them do a pilgrimage. I don't understand what they meant by that. Could you adults tell me?" Pacce asked.

I felt myself shake with anger at what the Al Bhed are doing. I think I was mostly angry because I was scared and confused. "Why can't you Al Bhed trust us guardians to protect the summoners during their pilgrimages?" I yelled with clenched fists at Rikku.

"The pilgrimages have to stop!" Rikku yelled. She was shaking too. "If they go to Zanarkand and obtain the final aeon then… Yuna will defeat Sin… But, after that… she will… it will… she'll be…" Rikku's sentences were incomplete and full of fright and sadness. She took a deep breath before stomping her foot. _**"YUNA WILL DIE, YA KNOW!"**_ She fell to her knees after that.

To say that Tidus, Donald, Goofy, and I were shocked was an understatement. We had no idea about what a summoner actually was. All we knew was that they were meant to defeat Sin. After finding this out… we didn't know what to think anymore. I didn't know what to think anymore. Donald, Goofy, Ke'Ania, and my mission is to protect all of the princesses in every world, but how are we going to do that if one of them is destined to die? How could Yuna or anyone not tell us? None of us knew… Did Ke'Ania know? And if she did… then why didn't she tell us?

Rikku sat on the floor and cried while the four of us remained in shock. At some point she looked up at us with confusion in her eyes. "Yuna told you guys, didn't she? She told you guys what a summoner's duty was to go on a pilgrimage, obtain the Final Aeon, and fight Sin, right? She had to have also told you that at the very end, she would either die because of Sin or the Final Aeon after Sin is defeated, right?"

"No. She never told us anything." I silently whispered.

Tidus was the one who moved to grab Rikku by the shoulders and start to shake her. "Why didn't we know? Why were we the only ones left out? How could you guys hide something like this from us?"

"We weren't hiding it… It was just too hard for us to say…" Lulu sighed. I could tell that she wanted to cry.

"But, she's you're little sister! How could you two just let her go off and do something so reckless like that? I thought you guys were family? Family doesn't let other family go off and do something so stupid, pointless, and dangerous! What kind of family are you!" I yelled in anguish. My fists were still shaking.

"Don't ya think we tried to stop her? Yuna does what Yuna's heart tells her to do. We felt like it wasn't in our place to tell you guys. We figured Yuna wanted to break the news." He turned to Tidus with a glare. "Especially you… since she's so fond of you…"

"What about you, Kimahri? Didn't you promise to protect Yuna? Some guardian you turned out to be.

This was the first time I had ever seen Kimahri get upset. "Yuna knew what Yuna was doing! Kimahri could not stop Yuna… And believe Kimahri when Kimahri say that Kimahri tried!" The Ronso roared.

"All summoners know exactly what they are facing when they sign up for the job. I had to watch Braska go off and fight Sin. Do you really think I want to watch his daughter go off and face the same fate. I tried to get her to turn back too, but she had her mind set and she refused to change it. She's as stubborn as her old man." He said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Sir Auron is right. We summoners know exactly what we were doing when we took on the responsibility. Our will is set… despite what others think, we will not back down." Isaaru said.

"If we do not defeat Sin because we're afraid of dying, then Sin will never be defeated. Forget the fact that Spira will never know a moment's rest, but we would all be neutralized. We bring peace so that everyone will know what peace feels like at least once in their lives." Dona finished.

"They fight to create a world without Sin… even at the cost of their lives." Auron said.

In the corner of our eyes, we could see a few fiends beginning to form. Auron, Kimahri, Wakka, Rikku, and Lulu get ready to fight. Dona summons Valfore while Isaaru summons Ifrit to battle the fiends. Neither Tidus, Goofy, Donald, nor I had the strength to join the fight. I was too upset. First, because I would be losing a friend to a monster. Second, because all I could think about was what if it was Ke'Ania? I don't know just how awful I would feel if I found out that Ke'Ania took on a job that would mean that her life would end by the end of it. It's different that our job. At least I know that if we protect each other we would all come out alive… But, if she was a summoner… then she would die and there really would be no way to save her. I looked over at Tidus and saw the turmoil he was going through right now. The girl he likes, possibly even love, will die within a short time and he can't save her… I could only imagine… I would probably be even more broken, scared, and sad then he is right now.

I turned and saw Tidus run towards Dona's Valfore and start weakly punching it. "I told Yuna that we should go to Zanarkand together and defeat Sin! I wanted to do this with her… together! I told her a lot of things… and all she did was smile… She just smiled at me…"

Despite the fights going on, I could see Tidus crying and Valfore comforting him… I felt both of Donald and Goofy's hands on my shoulders. I wanted to cry too.

"No matter what!" Tidus started as he turned back to us. "I'll find her! I won't let her die! I'll protect her… no matter what!" He yelled. I nodded along with him.

By time we turned to the others, they were done fighting and Rikku was once again talking on her communicator. "Got it." She cut off the communicator as she turned towards us. "My father said that we have to get out of here now. Come on, follow me!"

Rikku ran out of the Summon Sanctum with all of us hot on her trail.

…

…

…

When we left the room, we climbed some stairs and entered into a big machine of some sorts. Brother and Cid were running around yelling in Al Bhed to each other. Tidus pushed through all of us to get to Cid.

"Where's Yuna?" Tidus screamed, but Cid ignored him. That's when Tidus turned Cid around and yelled at him while raising him off the ground by the collar of his shirt. "Where is she? Answer me, damn you!"

For a long minute, Cid stayed quiet but never stopped his glare. "So what? You're gonna find her and then drag her off to Zanarkand, so that she can fight Sin and die so that we can all live in peace?" Cid yelled as he reversed the rolls before flipping Tidus onto the ground.

"No! I won't let her die! I promised her and told her a lot of things without knowing what a summoner was or what they did. When I find her I'm going to tell her I'm sorry and then I'm going to find a way to protect her from Sin and from dying." Tidus said as he stood up.

Cid and Tidus glared each other down for a long time before Cid finally sighed and placed his hands on his hips. "Boy… you better remember those words, because the minute you forget them_**… I'm going to make you regret them**_."

Tidus sighed in relief before smiling at the old man. "I promise."

"So, um captain?" I nervously said. "Do you know where Yuna and a girl names Ke'Ania might be?"

"Nope, but that's why we're going to look for them."

"Using _**what**_ exactly?" Auron asked.

"Using this airship of course. Or is this too much 'forbidden machina' for you Yevon followers to handle?" Cid smirked.

"Wait? We're actually _**on **_an airship?" Lulu and Wakka yelled.

The ship started to shake, causing everyone to fall to their knees. Next thing we knew, Brother and Cid were talking in Al Bhed to one another again. We just sat there and watched as the airship rose from the ground and start to fly away from Home. Before the ship was fully turned away from Home, we saw a few flying fiends still circling the buildings. The placed looked like it was about to crumble at any given moment, even from up here. It wasn't a pretty sight. I looked over at Rikku and saw how devastated she was. Her head lowered even more when all of the Al Bhed in the room started singing the Hymn of the Fayth.

"What's going on?" Donald asked as he approached Rikku.

"We're… we're going to blow up our Home." She silently cried.

"You're going to what?" We all yelled.

"How you do that?" Kimahri asked.

"With another forbidden machina." Cid answered before giving commands in Al Bhed to Brother. We saw rockets fire from the sides on the airship before flying behind us. They must've hit Home because we heard an explosion and the airship started violently shaking. "Hold onto something." Cid commanded.

We all grabbed onto something and held onto dear life. We were actually engulfed in the explosion. For a while there… I actually thought we were going to die. The airship felt like it was coming apart. But, it held out until we were safe and out of the explosion. When Cid started laughing was when we deemed it safe enough to get up… I was hesitant to do so at first though.

Rikku's face showed just how depressed she actually was… I felt so bad. At least Wakka was doing the right thing in trying to cheer her up.

"Hey look. Don't get so down. Think of it this way. Boom! Big happy fireworks that belong in a festival! Right? Now put on a happy face!"

"You can keep your happy face and big happy festival, you BIG MEANIE!" Rikku yelled before running off while crying.

"_Maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all."_

"You're such a jerk, Wakka." Lulu sighed before moving to go find Rikku.

Wakka just hung his head in shame as he sat on the ground in Indian-style.

Tidus walked up to the giant blue sphere in the middle of the room. "Are we going to use this thing to find them?"

"Yep, but truth be told… I don't really know how to use it." Cid laughed.

"WHAT?" Tidus and I yelled.

"It's because of Yevon's stupid teachings that we can't learn how to use it or this airship efficiently. We're practically running around in the dark! But, what a rush it is, isn't it kiddos?" Cid laughed again.

"Now… I'm scared." Wakka shivered.

"Hey Sora? Can't you use your connection to Ke'Ania to help look for her? Maybe, if we find Ke'Ania, then Yuna will be with her too." Goofy suggested.

"I've tried, but it feels like I can't sense her anywhere. It's almost like her presence is completely gone." I sighed.

"Look, get some rest kiddos. I'll spend time on trying to figure out hit this Sphere Oscillo-Finder works and I'll call you all to the deck when I get a lock on either of them, ok?" Cid said with his hand on my shoulder.

We all nodded before leaving the deck to go explore the ship.

…

…

…

While exploring the ship, we found empty rooms for us to sleep in. I laid down and tried to sleep, but I couldn't. I was too worried about the girls to sleep. But I did do some thinking.

"_Ke'Ania is stronger than me and if I expect any of us to finish this mission alive, then I have to train harder and get stronger. I refuse to be left behind. If I wanna protect Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy, the princesses, and all the worlds, then I have to get stronger."_

With that thought in my head, I went to go fins Donald and ask for help.

I found him in another room that had large windows. I guessed that we were in a lower part of the airship.

"What are you doing down here? You should be resting." He said.

"I know, but I'm too worried to sleep." I sighed.

"I know how you feel."

I nodded before placing my hands on his shoulders and turning him to face me. "Donald… I need your help."

"With what Sora?" He asked.

"I want to become stronger. I can get physically stronger on my own, but I need to get stronger with my magic. Who knows if I'll ever be in a situation again where I can't use my Keyblade. When we were in the Hundred Acer Woods, I felt helpless. Ke'Ania was the only one who could fight for real. It was because she could use magic. I know that I have a powerful fire attack, but I want to learn more… Please teach me." I pleaded.

He nodded before taking my hand and leading me further down the airship. I found this room. It seemed like a good place to practice, so we'll train here while we're on the ship." He said. I nodded before summoning my Keyblade. "Since you already know how to use fire, I start by teaching you lightning. It won't be easy, so you better do what I say, when I say it, and how I say it." He warned.

I thought it over before gripping my Keyblade in hand even tighter. I looked at my white feathered friend with determination in my eyes. "Bring it on."

**NEXT TIME ON 'SECRET KINGDOM HEARTS':**

The gang find the girls, but what they find next will shock and change their lives forever. Stay tuned for the next chapter.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	29. Wedding Crashers

**Warnings for This Chapter: **the usual stuff. Crashing a wedding. Even more shaken faith.

**Chapter 26: Wedding Crashers**

**Normal P.O.V.**

"Try again." Lulu commanded an exhausted Sora.

For two days, they had been flying around on the airship in hopes of finding the still missing Yuna and Ke'Ania. Everyone has been using those two days either relaxing or doing everything they can to help in the search or aiding the remaining Al Bhed that are companying them on the giant vessel. Everyone except Donald, Lulu and Sora were busy doing this. They may not have been doing any of those tasks, but they definitely weren't lying around on their asses.

For those two days and at this very moment Donald and Lulu are busy training Sora in the art of different elements. They knew that they didn't have forever to train him with an unfamiliar element. Usually it would take anywhere from one week to a month, but they didn't have time. So, they did exactly what the brunet wanted them to. They trained him for those two days until he passed out. By the third day, today, everyone was frustrated. Lulu and Donald were only that way because they knew that they were running out of time. Sora knew that too. That added to the enormous amount of pressure he was under was starting to wear on the 14-year old boy.

His usually spiky brown hair was plastered against his sweat covered, tanned face and over his shinning ocean blue eyes. His jacket was off and the top part of his jumpsuit was unzipped and hanging over his hips. He felt so hot and tired, but he had to keep pushing. He was more frustrated than tired anyway.

"Try again, Sora. You'll never be close to Ke'Ania in power if you don't try again." Lulu scolded as she approached her pupil.

"I know that! And I am trying!" Sora shouted back before holding his hands together in hopes of seeing a lightning bolt form. A wide smile appeared on his face when said bolt started to form. It was small at first before it started to grow. But, when it reached an average size, the lightning bolt disappeared. "Damnit! I'll never do it right!" Sora groaned loudly in frustration before falling on the ground with his hands on his head.

"You're not trying hard enough. Get up and try again. We don't have all day." Lulu glared.

Donald felt sorry for his companion. He knows how it feels to not get the hang of something when the people around you are masters at it. He had to live with it when he and King Mickey were studying in the art of magic. The king may have been his best friend, but he still hated living in the shadow of him. Donald always knew that Mickey was greater than him, hence the reason Mickey's the king and he's not. So he was more understanding when it came to training Sora than Lulu.

Donald moved to sit next to his friend and placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"Look. I know that it is frustrating and I also know what it's like to not get something right away while the other people around you are already masters of the element you're trying to learn. But, don't ever give up. You are right. Ke'Ania needs you and there will be a time where you're gonna have to fight without your Keyblade. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. That's why it's so important to keep at it." Donald smiled at Sora, causing his younger best friend to smile back. Even Lulu smiled while watching the exchange between the two. "You're tired. Why don't you take a break and rest a little. We'll continue when you're better rested."

Sora didn't say anything as he rose to his feet. "No. I wanna try again."

"It's foolish to continue when you're so weary." Lulu smirked playfully.

"You may be telling the truth, but since you never said it during the two days you've trained me until I passed out, I know that you're just playing with me. So I'll make a deal… If I don't get it next time, then I'll rest and we can try again. Deal?"

Lulu and Donald both nodded before watching Sora get into position.

"Wait. I want you to try something else." Lulu said. "I want you to stand facing me and try to focus on hitting me with your lightning bolt."

"What?" Both males yelled.

"Lulu, I don't mean to question your method, but dontcha think that that's a little dangerous?" Sora asked with nervousness in his voice.

"When I was learning magic, I had to learn it by aiming it at a target. More often than not you're going to have to use your magic at someone or something that's not yourself. So, it would only make sense in using a live target." Lulu explained.

"That does make sense, but there's only one problem… What if I hit you?" Sora asked.

"You do not need to worry about that. I have a Nul-Thunder attached to me. So even if you hit me, then I'll remain unharmed. So go ahead… attack me with lightning." Lulu commanded.

Sora tried to summon lightning, but he couldn't. He was to afraid of accidently hitting Lulu, even if she was protected. "Sorry Lulu, but I can't." Sora sighed in defeat.

"Then let me help you." Lulu said in a calming voice as she moved to stand behind Sora. She placed her hands on his shoulders. Sora felt himself get bothered by the feeling of having Lulu touch him, but he was able to will it away with a little willpower, focus, and images of wrinkly, old nuns with stringy gray hair. Lulu raised one hand to his eyes and used it to shut them before returning it to his shoulder. "Now that your eyes are closed, I want you to envision the girl you love… Ke'Ania." Before Sora could protest, Lulu silenced him. "You don't have to speak, just listen… Now, I want you to imagine Ke'Ania. Her smile, her laugh, and her looking at you with her changing eyes and showing you each emotion they hold…" Sora was smiling at the images flashing through his head from Lulu's voice. "Now I want you to imagine your worst enemy."

Sora had to think about it. He didn't really have an enemy. He knew that Maleficent is the ultimate enemy, but he didn't know what she looked like. So, he just settled for Seymour's face. It made his blood boil. He hated that man since the moment he meet him. Sora knew that this guy was up to no good and it was only proven when they were in the Macalania Temple. Even though he's dead now, Sora couldn't help but think that he was in league with Maleficent. There was also a weird feeling in his body that told him that the conniving, power hungry maggot dinner is still alive somewhere. That angered him. Sora could feel his body start to shake with rage. He was so enraged that he felt an unfamiliar source of power rise within him.

When Lulu sensed Sora's rage and power increase, she messaged his shoulders to try and keep him under some form of control. "Now that you have both people in your mind, I want you to imagine your enemy hurting and causing pain to Ke'Ania." That snapped Sora completely.

Whatever control he had was gone. His ocean blue eyes were filled with so much rage that it practically blinded him. His body was shaking violently, his fists looked ready to punch the first thing that came into his line of vision, and there was too much power radiating off of him, making Donald afraid of what will happen when Sora releases it. When she looked down, Lulu noticed little lightning bolts surrounding the brunette's fists. If he even touched the ship accidentally, he could possibly shut down every circuit keeping this aircraft afloat. Because she knew that this would happen, she knew that he was ready to finally release his lightning power. She only hoped that her Nul-Thunder will be enough to protect her when Sora does unleash it.

Lulu took a deep breath before moving to stand a few feet away from the enraged teen. Donald quickly moved to stand next to here. "Now Sora, unleash that fiery and hit me with your best shot." Lulu commanded.

"Are you sure about this?" Donald asked as he coward behind Lulu's legs.

"No. But, hopefully this will help him unlock his power." Lulu said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice.

Sora didn't say a word. His eyes were focused on Lulu and Donald's bodies, but she wasn't who he was seeing. He was seeing Seymour holding Ke'Ania hostage and hurting her. He knew deep down that Seymour was dead, but that logic wasn't connecting with his brain at the moment. He brought his unclenched hands in front of him. The lightning was coursing through and around him, almost like a force field. The raw power was unbelievably powerful. No one, not even Sora himself, would've guessed the amount of power he was holding inside of him. And, for the first and hopefully last time… Lulu and Donald would be on the receiving end of his attack.

The two watched in fear as Sora moved his arms outward slowly before bringing them back in and clapping his hands together. When he did this, Sora unleashed powerful lightning bolts from his hands and aimed them towards his two mentors. They had a hard time holding their ground. Even though they had the Nul-Thunder covering them, the force from Sora's attack blew them back against the wall hard. The attack not only blew them back, but it also sent little charges through their bodies. The charges weren't too painful, but it was odd being able to feel it through their protection.

The attack lasted only a minute, but it felt like hours to them. When the lightning disappeared, the trio slid to the floor in an attempt to catch their breaths. The room was filled with heavy and exhausting pants, but Sora was the first to throw his head back and start laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Lulu glared. Sora kept laughing, not purposely ignoring the question. "Well?"

After a few more minutes, his laughing died down as he whipped away the tear forming in his eye. "Sorry, but that felt really good to let out. I didn't even know I had that in me. I guess you must've used my weakness to unlock it. Thanks for that." Sora smiled while getting up. " Now, I feel like I can learn any spell now and actually make it work for me."

"Well I'm glad that _**ONE **_ of us is in a great mood." Donald grunted as he rose too.

"What's wrong? I ruffle your feathers too hard?" Sora laughed while roughly rubbing Donald's feathers, the duck to scream and jump up and down in anger. Sora laughed some more.

"We still had protection against your lightning attack, but when you unleashed it we were still able to feel it along with the force behind it. You have a strong power hidden beneath you. Be sure to harness it and bend it to your will. Once you learn to do that, then you'll be able to handle anything life throws at you before throwing it back tenfold. " Lulu smiled before moving to touch Donald's shoulder. "And with your great teacher here… you'll be able to learn any spell and exceed at it."

Sora looked between his two friends with a smile and a nod. He felt happy that he was able to not learn a new element and be able to use it with a great amount of power. How that he knew this, he'll be able to become strong enough to protect, rescue, and fight for his friends, the worlds, princesses, King Mickey, and Ke'Ania.

"_**EVERYONE IN YUNA'S SUMMONING PARTY REPORT TO THE BRIDGE! NOW!"**_ Cid's voice boomed out of the speakers.

"Someone sounds mad." Sora laughed with Donald.

Lulu only shook her head before pressing the button that unlocked the door. "Come on. We better not keep the hot headed captain waiting."

…

…

…

"What's up?" Sora said as the trio walked into the bridge.

Everyone sniffed the air before immediately covering their noses.

"What the hell is that smell?" Wakka cringed.

"Yeah. It smelled like something or someone died." Rikku added.

"Donald and Lulu were training me on how to use lightning and I guess I sweated a little too much." Sora nervously laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

"It that where you've three been disappearing to for the past two days?" Tidus asked, causing the trio to nod. "That's great. Have you made any progress?"

"Yeah. In fact, I just released a very powerful attack a few minutes ago." Sora smiled proudly.

"That was you? With that little attack of yours, you've managed to shake every circuit within the ship!" Cid yelled. Sora thought that he was going to blow a gasket until Brother started jumping up and down while yelling something in Al Bhed. When Cid realized what he was saying, his green eyes widen in shock and surprise. "You better not be pulling my leg."

"What is he saying?" Goofy asked.

"He said that Sora's lightning attack gave the ship, mostly the Sphere Oscillo-Finder, a boost!" Rikku cheered.

"Really?" Sora said in disbelief.

"Ha. I guess you're good for something after all." Cid smirked.

"You shouldn't use this to change the subject, _**captain**_." Auron glared through his glasses.

"What's going on?" Donald asked.

"He wants to stop Yuna's pilgrimage." Auron plainly said.

"You damn right I do. No niece of mine is going to sacrifice herself so that the rest of us can live in peace for ten more years." Cid glared the former Warrior Monk down.

"Niece? Excuse me, but did you just call Yuna your niece?" Wakka asked nervously.

"Yes. And if you have a problem with it, I'll gladly give you a one-way trip to the Farplane by throwing you overboard." Cid harshly threatened.

"Father! No threatening my friends!" Rikku scolded.

"You say that you want to make Yuna quit her pilgrimage to keep her safe right? These are things you want. But what about Yuna? Did you ever take into consideration the things she desires?" Auron asked.

"Of course I've thought of what she wants, but this is something I cannot allow her to do. And if you let her continue on with this stupid tradition, then you might as well have fed her to Sin yourself. I was not there for most of her life. Hell, this would actually be the first time I would meet her. My sister and her husband both met an untimely and devastating end. She never really had parents and if it was up to me, then she would've come to live with us. But, things were out of my control. Now that I finally have some control and role in her life, I'm going to make sure that she'll die a gray haired old lady with a few kids and grandkids of her own." Cid stated before turning towards the group. "And if any of you don't agree… then you'll all get a one-way ticket to the Farplane, first class."

Everyone could see the truth behind Cid's words and nervously gulped at the sight. Rikku was the only one unnerved by her father's threat. "Father! What did I just say!"

The two started arguing while everyone else sort of disappeared in the corner. The arguing stopped when Brother started jumping up and down in excitement while speaking Al Bhed again.

"If you're lying to me, then I'll use that ridiculous hairdo you have to whip this ship clean!" Cid yelled with his clenched fist raised.

"Yeah you lame brain, where is she?" Rikku yelled.

"You find Yuna?" Kimahri asked.

Cid nodded before turning towards Brother. "Put it on the screen for everyone to see." When the screen popped up, everyone gasped at the sight. "Freeze it right there." Brother nodded at Cid's request before doing it.

In the picture, Seymour was holding Yuna- who was wearing a white wedding dress- while a bunch of guards were armed and readied to fight. In the corner, Ke'Ania was wearing a white dress, similar to Yuna's, and chained with two Guado guards standing next to her. She wore a white, strapless dress with slits on both sides, open toed heeled sandals, and elbow high gloves. Her long hair was done up in a curly ponytail that rested on her shoulder while two thick bangs framed her face. The chains around her arms and mid-selection were being held by both Guado guards. They both looked trapped and completely defenseless.

"What the hell is going on? I thought you said that you killed that snake in the grass?" Cid angrily shouted.

"We did! Back in the Macalania Temple." Rikku answered with shock in her voice.

"Then, what is he still doing alive?" Cid asked.

"He is an unsent, just like Jyscal. Whatever his intentions were when he was alive must've kept him from passing on." Auron explained.

"That doesn't sit too well with me, but what I wanna know is what's with the get up everyone was wearing?" Wakka questioned.

"It looked like a wedding to me." Goofy answered.

"You mean, an unsent snake in the grass of a Maester wants to marry my niece? We need to go and crash that wedding, **NOW**!" Cid yelled.

"How did the Guado and Seymour get a hold of them anyway?" Donald asked.

"Before the war at Home, an investigative team contacted me and informed that they found a summoner and a girl lying unconscious next to the oasis. They told me that it looked like Yuna, but they didn't know who the girl was. I told them to bring them in, but before they could they were attacked and killed. I went to investigate and found that it was the Guado who killed my men and kidnapped the girls. After figuring that out, the war at Home started." Cid informed them.

"So that means that it's time to take Yunie and Ke'Ania back and to make sure that Seymour stays dead." Rikku cheered.

"Right!" Sora cheered right along with her, but stopped when he realized something. "Hey Gramps, where is that place anyway?"

"Zoom out enough for us to see the location." Cid commanded of Brother.

When Brother zoomed out, a picture of a large temple appeared.

"Where is that?" Tidus asked.

"That is St. Bevelle, the heart of Yevon and her Yevonites. There is no better place to hold a wedding." Lulu answered.

"That maybe true, but that's the wrong wedding to be celebrating at our most beloved temple." Wakka said with his arms crossed.

"I don't care what kind of wedding it is! Yuna is not going to be getting married to anyone without my permission!" Cid shouted before turning towards Brother. "Full speed ahead to Bevelle!"

Brother answered in Al Bhed and pressed his foot hard on the gas, making the ship rock and shake.

"How long until we reach Bevelle?" Auron asked.

"A few hours. You kids might want to rest and get cleaned up. Bevelle's defenses are top notch and hard to get through. While you're preparing yourselves for a fight, my crew and I will try to figure out a way to get you into that wedding. I won't lie, we won't be able to help you once you get in there. So I hope that you'll be ready for whatever they throw at you." Cid said.

"Don't worry, Gramps. We got this." Sora smiled.

"You've worked hard enough for the past two days. You go and rest. Donald and I will take care of your dirty clothes while you rest up." Lulu said.

"What about you guys? You've been working hard too. And besides, we all need to rest up so that we can save the girls." Sora added.

"We'll go rest once your stuff is done. Go get yourself clean before sleeping." Donald smiled with his hand on Sora's lower back.

Sora nodded before following the rest of the group to the rest area.

…

…

…

Just like they said they would, Lulu and Donald cleaned Sora's clothes while he showered and slept before retiring themselves. Everyone was sleeping except for Auron. He moved towards the bottom of the airship. He was leaning against a long window and using it to view the outside world with lifeless eyes. He was too busy to notice that he wasn't completely alone.

"What are ya doing here? You should be resting." Goofy said before walking over to the former warrior monk.

Said warrior monk only cocked his head enough to stare at the dog. "I should say the same for you. You need to save up your energy for the many fights we'll be engaging in."

"Oh, ya don't need to be worried about me. I don't need any sleep. I have too much energy anyway. But what about you? You're old and old people need a lot of sleep." Goofy smiled.

"I'm not old."

"You're older than me, so that means that you are old."

Auron looked at the smiling dog for a few moments before smiling himself and turning his gaze back to the window. "You're not that bright, are you?"

"Not really." Goofy kept smiling.

"I'll give you points for honesty."

"I may not be that smart, but I still know stuff." Goofy admitted.

"Oh really? Like what?" What Goofy had said intrigued Auron's curiosity.

"I know that you aren't as normal as you appear to be. I know that there is something weird about you. It's almost as if you are a human, but at the same time you're not." This made Auron's widen a little. He hoped that Goofy hadn't figured out his secret. "Are you an unsent too, Mr. Auron?"

"And what if I am?"

"Why are you still here?"

"I have… promises that need to be kept." Auron calmly answered. He turned his gaze to Goofy and knew that he wanted more than that. With a sigh, Auron continued. "I promised both Jetch and Braska to protect their only children."

"What happens once you've done that?" Goofy asked.

"Then I can rest in peace."

"But, if you're supposed to be protecting Yuna too, then why are you still allowing Yuna to continue with her pilgrimage? Why not stop her like Cid is trying to do?"

"Braska always wanted Yuna to follow her dreams and do the right thing. That is what Yuna is doing. She is following her heart and going through all of this because she wants to protect everyone from their worst nightmare… Sin. Her will is like unbendable iron. She has made up her mind and the only thing I can do is guard her until the end, just like any other guardian." Auron explained.

"Did you ever try to talk her out of it?"

"Yes. I've spoken with her on numerous occasions, when you guys were not around, but she refused to give up. I've even tried to scare her, but she is just like her father… stubborn. If she goes to Zanarkand, then I will have to watch her obtain the Final Aeon and die… just like Braska. I don't want to see that, but as her guardian I have to hide my feelings and fulfill the wishes of my summoner." Auron said.

"I know what it's like to be separated from my friends, but I've never lost one. I can't imagine how that must feel. Must be hard." Goofy said in a sad, low voice.

"I could lose my own live a thousand times over, but it could never compare to the lost of a friend. It's a horrible feeling that is not uncommon in this world we call Spira." Auron said with a sigh. Silence rained over them for a few minutes. "How long have the others been sleeping?"

"A few hours, why?" Goofy asked.

"Go wake them up. We have company." Auron glared.

"Who's here?" Outside the window was a giant dragon with transparent wings. "Oh… You were talking about that thing. Right, I'll just go wake them up then." Goofy said before going to do it.

…

…

…

"Alright, what's this 'company' that Goofy keeps talking about?" A grumpy Tidus glared at his elder.

"We have to face Evrae." Auron said as he pointed out the window at the dragon.

"**WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?"** Sora, Tidus, Rikku, and Donald shouted together.

"_**THAT'S **_Evrae. It's the guardian that protects all of Bevelle. If we want to crash Yuna's wedding, then we have to go through it first." Lulu explained.

"Just great. And how are we supposed to defeat that thing?" Rikku asked.

"_**With my help of course."**_ Cid said, causing everyone to turn around. "I'll have my crew load up a canon that will send that beast all the way to the Farplane. You all will just have to entertain it for a little while."

"And… how do you suppose we do that, Dad?" Rikku said with her hands on her hips.

"Hey, I figured out how to help you anyway I can. You have to learn to come up with your own plans." Cid shook his head before walking away. "Prepare for battle!"

"Humph. He's one aggravating old man. But I love him anyway." Rikku sighed.

"Wait. How are we supposed to let them know that we're ready for the canon?" Wakka asked.

"_**That would be my job."**_ Rin said, making the group turn around again. "Cid has put me in charge of loading the canons." That's when Rin reached into his pocket and handed Rikku a little communicator. "Use this to tell me when you're ready. I've counted the ammo, I can only help you three times. So make sure that you call the canons wisely. I'll be in the canon room awaiting your orders, Rikku." And with that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

"Alright, we have our plan, we have our enemy, and we have our back-up. Let's go kick this thing's butt and rescue the girls from Seymour's clutches!" Sora cheered.

"And what exactly is our plan?" Lulu asked.

"Kick its ass!" Sora, Tidus, and Donald yelled with their weapons in the air.

The rest of the group readied themselves before opening the door that led them to the top of the airship. Wakka was the one to hit the button that allowed the latch to take them to the outside of the ship. They rode the latch to the top with fear and nervousness in their hearts. They need to get rid of Evrae, if they didn't then they couldn't rescue the girls.

…

…

…

"The wind is too strong! How are we supposed to fight that thing if we can't even keep our footing?" Donald yelled/asked.

"I have a spell that might help!" Lulu said.

She used a gravitational spell on their feet to keep them from falling and making it easier for them to fight.

"Thanks Lu." Wakka smiled, causing the black mage to blush.

Evrae floated before them. Everyone stared it down with determination in their eyes until Goofy realized something.

"It's too far away for us to attack it regularly."

"Goofy's right. How are we non-masters of magic supposed to fight it?" Tidus asked.

"_**Rikku? Do you read me?"**_Out of her communicator, she heard her father's voice.

"Dad?"

"_**Yeah. You can use this to try and contact me if you need anything."**_

"We need you to move the ship closer to monster. Not everyone can fight if we're too far away." Rikku said.

"_**I'll move it closer, but we can't stay long. I've read somewhere that the Evrae has the ability to turn people into stone with its gaze and poison people with its breath. Wouldn't want any of ya getting hurt because of that thing." **_Cid informed.

"Right. Just get us close and pull us away when I say. We'll take it from there." After that, Rikku cut the line. "Alright, listen up you guys! My dad says that he can move us closer, but we can't stay long. Turns out that Evrae had a stony gaze and poison breath. We have to be careful."

"Alright here's the plan. When we're close enough: Sora, Goofy, Auron, Kimahri and I will attack it. When it's away from the ship, Lulu, Donald, Sora, Rikku, and Wakka will fight." Tidus said.

"Why do I have to attack twice?" Sora asked.

"You've spent two days in training, so it's time to show us that you haven't been wasting your time." Tidus answered. "Alright, let's do this."

They waited for the ship to get closer before moving into formation. The boys were on the front lines. The beast was right in front of their face and it terrified them, but they were still willing to face it. They had to rescue the girls.

Tidus was the first to attack. He sliced the side of its face, causing it to screech. Sora was next. He sliced the other side of its face. It screamed louder. Auron and Kimahri attacked together at its torso. This angered the Evrae. It gave out a might roar before using its claws to try and attack them. But Goofy stepped in and used his shield to deflect the attack, shattering its claws when the two collided, before using the sharp edges of his weapon to slice its hands off. It started roaring even louder and more fiercely.

"Way to go Goofy!" Donald cheered.

"Yeah, but it looks even angrier!" Wakka pointed out.

When everyone looked at the Evrae, they saw it slowly open its eyes wide. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was getting ready to attack with its Stone Gaze.

"Then we better get within a safe distance! Rikku!" Auron called.

"Right!" The blond female nodded before turning on her communicator. "Father! Evrae is about use its Stone Gaze! We need you to get us away from it now!"

"_**Then you better tell your friends to hang onto something!" **_Cid said.

"Hang onto something!" Rikku shouted.

The ship started to shake violently as it moved away from the beast. And thanks to Lulu's gravitational spell, everyone was able to stay grounded to the hood of the Fahrenheit. But, the ship wasn't fast enough to evade some of its stone hits. Different parts of the hood started turning to stone, but Sora's foot was hit the worse.

"Ahhh!" Sora grunted in pain as his foot started turning to stone.

"Sora!" Everyone shouted.

"I've got you." Lulu said after she made her way over to him. She kneeled down to evaluate the damage down to his foot. "I can free your foot, but you have to keep me covered.

"Do your thing and I'll make sure to protect you." Sora nodded.

"Alright everyone! Evrae is out of our reach, so it's up to Sora, Rikku, Donald, partially Lulu, and Wakka to take it on!" Tidus said.

"Right!" The team of five shouted.

"_**Lady Rikku, the canons are ready. Should I fire now?" **_Rin asked through the communicator.

"Tidus, the canons are ready. Should we fire them now while we have the chance?" Rikku asked.

"Tell Rin to wait. We're going to try and weaken it a little bit more and then use the canons to finish it off." Tidus said.

Rikku nodded. "Rin, did you get all of that?"

"_**Yes. I will be awaiting your orders, Lady Rikku."**_

"Alright then. And I told you about calling me that." Rikku sighed before turning the communicator off and turning towards Tidus. "Since you're calling all the shots, what do you want us to do?"

"I want all of you to hit with everything you have. If we don't hurry and get rid of it, then it'll just make rescuing the girls even harder." Tidus answered.

"Wait a second Tidus, I just realized something. Lulu said that Evrae is the protector of Bevelle, right?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything, Sora?" Donald questioned.

"If it guards Bevelle, then doesn't that mean that we're on the outskirts or something like that?" Sora asked.

"Rikku, ask Cid how much longer until we're close to the temple." Auron commanded.

"You could put a please on that, ya grumpy old man." Rikku said while rolling her eyes.

"I'm not old!" Auron angrily shouted.

"Those gray hairs on your head say otherwise." She laughed before turning on her communicator and speaking with her dad. "He says that we'll be arriving within the hour. So we better hurry up and make every attack count."

"You heard the girl! Let's send this beast to the Farplane in style!" Wakka cheered as he moved to take up his position with Rikku and Donald following suit.

They wasted no time in attacking the beast. Rikku started threw out her most powerful lightning attack, Donald was creating ice icicles to throw at it, Wakka was throwing his ball hard and aiming at its already scared face, Sora used the tip of his Keyblade to create fireballs while using his left hand to add lighting to his fireball attacks, all while Lulu was applying all of her magic to heal Sora's leg. They were all throwing out some powerful attacks, making Evrae weaker but not weak enough fast enough. They kept attacking relentlessly. Some a cloud started to form and covered Evrae completely.

"Hold your fire!" Wakka commanded.

Everyone did as they were told. After waiting a few seconds, the cloud started to clear and a strange feeling was making them nervous.

"Where's Evrae?" Rikku asked/shouted.

When the cloud was gone so was Evrae.

"It has to be around her somewhere! Keep your eyes open for it!" Tidus commanded.

While everyone looked for the beast, Lulu was finishing up healing Sora's legs. When she was done, Lulu got up and dusted her hands off. "There you go, god as new."

Sora lifted his leg and moved it around a little bit. "Thanks." He smiled.

Lulu nodded, but the celebration was short lived when Evrae appeared from the side and was heading towards them fast.

"Watch out!" Goofy shouted as he pointed to Evrae.

Lulu had her back turned towards the beast, so she was confused as to what Goofy was talking about. She slowly turned with wide eyes as she practically came face to face with Evrae.

"Lu!" Wakka shouted as he ran to save her.

He was able to grab her and get her away from Evrae, but they didn't make it fast enough. When Evrae did his Swooping Scythe, it used the spikes on its back to attack and managed to hit everyone in different places. No one came out unharmed, but they weren't too badly injured.

"Everyone alright?" Kimahri asked/grunted as he got up.

"Nothing to serious, brudda. But, we need to hurry and get rid of this thing before we wind up dead. I don't think it wants to play around anymore." Wakka stated while helping Lulu up.

"Right!" Tidus shouted before turning to face Evrae. "Alright guys, it's back to being in front of us but I want everyone to attack this time! We're going to weaken it as much as we can! There's no doubt that it will try and unleash another attack, but we have to get away from it before that happens! Rikku, tell Cid and Rin to be on standby! If everything goes as planned, then we're going to have to be quick to get away and use the canons to finish it off!" Tidus shouted out commands.

Everyone nodded before going to work. Rikku shot lightning, Lulu shot out fire, Donald threw ice icicles, Sora, Tidus, Auron, Kimahri, and Goofy were busy hacking away at it, and Wakka was throwing his ball at it as hard as he could. They never let up. They started to get tired, but they couldn't stop. They couldn't give the beast a chance to attack at anytime. Trying to end it quicker, Donald created a large and thick ice icicle and threw it at Evrae. It landed in the middle of his chest. Tidus jumped up and used his foot to push the ice icicle further into and out of its chest. Together, Auron and Kimahri used their weapons to make the whole bigger. Auron sliced downward while Kimahri sliced upward. Sora would deliver the final blow before they finally finished Evrae off.

"Rikku, I'm going to weaken it with my lightning element. Get ready to have Cid move the ship and have Rin ready the canons." Sora commanded as he added lightning to his fists.

Rikku nodded before turning on the communicator. "Get ready you two."

"_**Just tell us when to go."**_ Cid replied.

Sora waited until there was enough lightning flowing through his hand before attacking. But while he was charging up his attack the beast started opening his mouth.

"Be careful Sora. It's opening its mouth, so that most likely means that it's getting ready to unleash its Poison Breath. Once you attack, you have to land back on the ship so we can move out of the way in time." Lulu informed.

Sora nodded. He stared the beast down and took a deep breath. With everything he had, he leapt off the ship and placed his hands on both sides of the opened wound. When he made contact, lighting pulsated through the beast with a lot of force. Everyone covered their ears when the beast started to haul in pain. He stayed connected to Evrae for a few more minutes before getting ready to jump back towards the ship.

"Do it now Rikku!" Sora commanded.

"But what about you?" She shouted back.

"I'll be back on the ship! But, you need to do it now!" Sora shouted back.

Rikku was reluctant, but finally nodded. "Alright dad, move the ship. Rin, stay on standby for a few more minutes."

"_**Roger." **_ Both Al Bhed males said together.

Sora finally let up on his attack and was getting ready to jump back, but before he could Evrae grabbed the back of his jacket and managed to throw him towards the ship as it started to move. Tidus rushed to catch his friend. When Sora collided with him, they flew a little backwards and bounced on the hood until Tidus used his sword to stabilize them.

"See I told you that I would be back on the ship in time." Sora laughed and grunted while trying to get up.

"And just in time too. We narrowly missed its Poison Breath." Donald said as he pointed towards the disappearing cloud of poison Evrae created.

"Rikku, tell Rin to shot the canons now." Auron commanded. Rikku just stared at him with one blond eyebrow raised. "Please."

"No problem. Alright Rin, fire now." Rikku said with a smile.

"_**Right."**_

They watched as the canons were being readied and fired towards Evrae. It was a beautiful sight seeing the bray of canons being fired at it. It lit up the sky in a dark cloud. When the cloud cleared, Evrae's body started to shake violently before Pyreflies started coming out of it. And sink into the clouds below them.

"_**Shit, we're in trouble." **_Cid cursed.

"What's wrong?" Rikku asked.

"_**We're losing power and are going down fast."**_

"What?" Rikku shouted back.

"_**Tell your friends to hold on tight. We're going to try NOT to crash into Bevelle."**_ Was all Cid said before he cut the line.

"What wrong Rikku?" Kimahri asked.

"The ship is losing power. Cid and Brother are trying not to crash in Bevelle. They want us to basically strap down." That's when the ship started shaking violently again. "Now."

Everyone held on tight to the ship with either their weapons or onto someone else as the ship started heading through the clouds and towards Bevelle. The strange thing is… they could've sworn they heard wedding bells in the distance.

…

…

…

The sun was high in the sky, wedding bells were chiming loudly, and there were a lot of guards standing in armor with their weapons ready to fire at any moment. All of these things made everything seem like the perfect wedding… except it wasn't.

Maester Seymour and Yuna were each surrounded by six Bevelle priests and were being escorted from west and east doors while Ke'Ania was being escorted down the middle aisle- chains were tied around her wrists, her hands held a dozen roses, and there were two metal armguards around her arms- by two Guado guards. Seymour and Yuna were united before the stairs. The two front priests from each party bowed and stepped back, leaving the soon to be couple in the front of them. Without the two sets of priests in front of them, said couple began to climb the stairs. The large group of 12 priests followed after them m making sure not to trip or step on Yuna's long veil. The last to climb the stairs was Ke'Ania and the two Guado guards. They were careful in handling her, but they weren't the gentlest Guado guards either. Despite having a plan, both girls still wished for their knights in shining armor. Ke'Ania's head slowly turned towards the sky and smirked when she saw Pyreflies filling the air and floating down over them.

"Move it." One of the Guado guards grunted as he pushed her forward.

The smirk on her face never disappeared as she kept climbing the stairs. It was only whipped away when she saw the expression on Yuna's face.

"_Don't worry, Yuna. Our knights will be crashing the wedding before you can say I do."_

…

…

…

Ke'Ania wasn't the only one who saw the Pyreflies too. Scared by this, Maester Kinoc ordered his team of soldiers and machina fiends into the 'ready to fire' position. The ship came charging in with black smoke still coming from it. Its power was dying fast, but Cid was determined to crash that wedding before they fell out of the sky. Ke'Ania, Seymour, Yuna, and Maester Mika all watched at the altar as the ship flew by, taking away Yuna's veil in the process. The girls were the only ones with smiles on their faces. They knew who was here and once they crashed the wedding, they were going to set their plan into action.

As the airship flew by, the soldiers all fired their bullets at it, but it did nothing to it. They could only jump back as two cable shot out of the Fahrenheit and into the temple's ground. The girls' team of friends was next seen gliding along the cables to the ground.

Sora and Tidus were in front, Rikku and Auron were behind them, Wakka, Lulu, Kimahri, Donald, and Goofy were last. Wakka was holding Lulu while Donald and Goody gripped onto Kimahri for dear life. The cables started twisting, so the team jumped from one cable to the other. Once they made it to the ground, the cables snapped and the Fahrenheit flew out of sight. From this moment on, they knew that they were on their own.

"Sora?" Ke'Ania shouted in almost disbelief.

"Ke'Ania!" Sora shouted back.

"Tidus?" Yuna yelled in the same tone as Ke'Ania.

"Hang on Yuna! We're coming to save you two!" Tidus announced as everyone readied their weapons.

:You are trespassing on secret ground in the middle of one of the holeyest of weddings. I must ask you heathens to leave." Kinoc spoke.

"Sorry, but we're not leaving until we get Yunie and Ke'Ania back. So step aside." Rikku said with her weapon in hand.

"Ready yourselves men! Kill all who you see! Leave no one alive! We cannot let this wedding be interrupted anymore!" Maester Mika commanded.

"First, they don't send us an invitation. Next, they rolled out a red carpet with teeth. Then they want us dead? I'm starting to think that Yevon and Bevelle has something against us." Auron smirked with his blade in hand.

"Who cares if they have some grudge against us! Rescuing Yuna and Ke'Ania is our top task right now! We'll deal with whatever problem they have with us later!" Wakka stated before running towards the first group of soldiers.

They stopped him with bullets that were aimed at his feet. While Wakka was busy avoiding them, Lulu casually strolled towards him. "Move." She sighed irritably as she pushed him out of the way and used her ice element to freeze them in their place. The red haired male had a surprised look on his face, but he quickly got rid of it, got up and threw his ball at the frozen soldiers. Everyone watched as they shattered into a lot of pieces.

"Thanks Lu for the help, but are you ok? I mean, you seemed kind of irritated." Wakka asked with concern laced in his voice and a hand on her shoulder.

"I have a bone to pick with Maester Seymour and the Guado… _**AND NO ONE IS GOING TO STAND IN MY WAY!**_" She angrily shouted before raising her hand and shooting fireballs at the next group of soldiers.

Screams of agony could be heard from them as the smell of burning flesh filled the air, but Lulu's steps never faltered. Rounds of bullets could be heard over the dying screams. To guard herself, Lulu put up an ice shield in front of her. She watched as the bullets tried to pierce her shield. After a minute or so, they finally ran out of bullets. While they were reloading, Lulu released her shield, allowing everyone to rampage.

With his speed, Tidus ran through them without even giving them time to blink. One soldier tried to attack Sora with his gun, but the brunette managed to jump out of the way and strike him down before placing his hand on the ground. By doing this, Sora was able to send electricity through the ground and into five of the soldiers' bodies, killing them within seconds. Goofy was using his shield to protect Donald and him from more bullets while Donald used his staff to shot thick ice icicles through their bodies. Auron used his sword to slice through each soldier that stood in his way, but he was slow. So, to cover his back, Kimahri would use his spear to handle the soldiers trying to attack the sword user's back. Once there weren't any more, Kimahri used his spear to lift himself off the ground. When he was in the air, he turned himself upside down and started spinning, slicing all of the soldiers within his range.

"Kimahri! I need to borrow your back!" Rikku shouted.

Kimahri nodded before kneeling on the ground, unaware of the soldier with his gun readied to fire. Rikku saw him and made a B-line for him. While she was running towards him, Rikku added lightning to her right hand. When she was close enough, Rikku grabbed the soldier's helmet, ripped it off and slammed her hand against the back of his head. He screamed in agony as lightning coursed through his body before his eyes rolled in the back of his head and his lifeless body fell to the floor. Satisfied with that, Rikku threw his helmet aside before running towards Kimahri. She used his back to lift herself into the air. She added more lightning on her hand before coming back down. Just like the other guy, Rikku slammed her hand against one soldier's face while using her legs to kick the other off of the bridge. Once that man was dead, she kicked him off of the bridge too.

Wakka used the soldiers' bodies to play pinball with. Each person his ball hit, Wakka punched or kicked them hard. He actually thanked Blitzball for helping with increasing his strength. When his ball returned to him, Wakka ran toward the next group and did the same.

Everyone gave it their all. They were going to rescue the girls even it meant their lives. They knew that they were killing a lot of people. Some of them may have been innocent, but to them they didn't view the soldiers in that manner. Anyone involved in this false wedding was not innocent in their eyes. The Guado kidnapped Ke'Ania and Yuna and forced them to participate in this falsified wedding and Seymour still remains the villain here. They can decide what to do later, but as of right now, their only mission is to get the two girls away from here.

Once the path was clear, they were able to make a straight line for the bottom of the stairs. They ran at top speed, but the few soldiers left stepped in front of the group standing at the altar with Maester Kinoc behind them. He waved his hand and gave the order to shot at the ground. By doing this they were able to stop the charging group.

"This has gone on long enough. You are not welcomed here, but I cannot let you leave. You've already had your chance to leave and you decided to stay and fight instead. So now, your lives are in my hands now. Surround them." Kinoc ordered.

The remaining group of soldiers did as they were ordered and surrounded the nine of them. The only thing they could do is watch as they were under the Maesters' watchful eyes. They were trapped like rats and couldn't risk fighting back. If they did so much as moved a muscle, then anything could happen to the girls. They knew that Seymour needed the girls alive, but not undamaged. They still couldn't risk it.

The girls' focus was on their friends. They were grateful at the attempt at rescuing them, but now they were trapped. So, the girls figured that it their turn to execute their plan. Ke'Ania nodded towards Yuna. That was her queue to go on. She pulled out her staff from behind her back, held it out, and quickly moved to stand on the side of Seymour with it. This caught everyone's attention, allowing all eyes on her.

"Yuna? What are you doing?" Lulu asked.

"You choose to play during our wedding in hopes of sending me?" Yuna only glared at Seymour while still holding her staff out. "You have a very strong and admirable resolve. You make me want you even more now." Seymour smirked.

"Gag me." Ke'Ania said in disgust.

Yuna didn't say anything. She only started to dance. Pyreflies started to come from Seymour. Things were going as planned, until Maester Mika spoke up.

"Stop!" Yuna jerked to a stop at his tone. She, along with everyone else slowly turned to him. "Your actions decide your friends' fate. Do you not care about them?"

"What… do you mean by that?" Yuna asked nervously.

"If you do not finish this ceremony and stop trying to send Maester Seymour, then I will be forced to the party that so bravely came to rescue you killed. If you behave and do as you are instructed, then everything will work out for the best." Maester Mika started.

"You Yevonites disgust me. Yuna is only doing what is instructed of her by your 'teachings'. You, on the other hand, are the only ones playing at this wedding. You're playing with too much fire o handle and soon you'll be burned." Ke'Ania glared.

"Do not think that you are exempt from that proposition either. If you do not behave either, then your friends will die. Both of your actions are what we base our decision on how to hand them on. So I suggest that you keep your pretty little mouth shut, then everything will work out." Maester Kinoc glared as he stepped close to her.

Ke'Ania only glared back, but did as she was told. Yuna could only watch the exchange between the two. She slowly turned her gaze towards her other friends before finally settling her blue and green eyes on Seymour. The decision was obvious and so she had no choice but to comply. Her grip on her staff was weakened until she finally released it. There was a cling every time her staff hit the floor. Everyone in the group, Seymour, and Ke'Ania watched as the staff rolled down the stairs until it finally landed in front of Tidus's feet.

"You've made a very wise decision." Seymour smirked before turning to face Yuna.

Her head was turned away from everyone. She felt a little ashamed. Her plan was simple, send Seymour and escape with Ke'Ania. They were going to keep roaming all of Spira until they finally found them. That was the plan. A stupid plan, but a plan none the less. Now that it was interrupted and that the Maesters of Yevon used their friends' lives against them, there was nothing left to do. They hadn't counted on that, and it made them vulnerable. The only thing they could think of is complying with their orders. If it meant that their friends would stay alive, then they would do it.

Seymour was the first to walk up to Yuna. He placed one hand on her shoulder while using the other to turn her head towards him. She stared into his eyes and saw the evil swimming in them. That's when Seymour leaned in and kissed her. Every one of her friends looked away from the scene, except Tidus. The wedding bells chimed and applause could be heard, but the scene before him made Tidus see nothing but red. The kiss lasted a few moments, but they were the worst moments of her life. Her fingers curled into a fist. Once the kiss was over, Seymour held her close to his chest before turning towards the group of nine.

"Kill them." He ordered.

"What?" The group of nine, Yuna, and Ke'Ania yelled as all of the soldiers cocked their weapons and aimed them at the group.

"You promised us that if we behaved and played along with this dumbass wedding sheared, then you would let them live!" Ke'Ania shouted.

"Yeah well it was only until it was official. And, if you remember, I said everything will work out… I didn't say for who." Kinoc smirked.

"_**I'll kill you for this. Mark my words." **_Ke'Ania growled out.

"We'll see about that." Kinoc smirked before walking over to a soldier and grabbing his weapon and holding it to Auron's face. "I'm sorry, but it this for Yevon."

"I don't mean to point out the irony, but aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?" Auron asked with a little smirk of his own.

"There are exceptions. You should know that from when we used to work together." Kinoc answered before raising it to his temple. "Good-bye… old friend."

"**NO!" **Yuna shouted from her position on the edge of the temple. "If you do not let them go, then I will fall…" She threatened.

Seymour thought about it before finally lowering his hand, allowing the group to run towards her. Sora, Donald, Goofy, ran towards Ke'Ania, but the Guado guards stopped them.

"Let her go." Sora threatened with his Keyblade. Donald and Goofy glared at them with their weapons in hand too.

"Go. Check on Yuna. I'll be fine. They won't hurt me as long as Yuna is up there. Go." Ke'Ania smiled.

"You sure you'll be alright?" Sora asked.

"I promise. Just go." Ke'Ania smiled brighter.

Sora didn't want to leave her, but he had no choice. He had to trust in Ke'Ania and hope that everything would be alright. He hasn't had a reason to not believe her yet. With a deep sigh, Sora dismissed his Keyblade and waited for Donald and Goofy to do the same. His blue eyes stared into her purple and black ones. That was a color he hadn't seen in a long time. He knew that purple meant sincere and black meant daring. Whatever Ke'Ania was planning was something she had to do and he knew that. If he messed anything up and everything went wrong, Sora would feel nothing but guilt his whole life. He had to trust her, like he has been doing.

"Alright then. Just make sure that you make it out ok." Sora said.

"I promise." She smiled.

"Come on guys. Let's go get Yuna." Sora said turned to join the rest of the group with Donald and Goofy behind them.

"Yuna. Get down. You'll hurt yourself." Wakka commanded.

"You guys need to leave, please." Yuna pleaded.

"You're coming with us." Tidus stated.

"I can't go just yet. You have to let me do what I need to do." Yuna said as she held her staff tightly in her hands.

"Listen to your friends. You know that if you fall, you will die. What will sacrificing yourself going to do? What will change if you die?" Seymour asked.

Yuna only glared as she whipped her mouth with the back of her gloved hand. Seymour only just shrugged his shoulders in an uncaring manor.

"Please leave. Do not worry about me. I'll be fine. I can fly. I have wings." Yuna smiled.

"Yunie, you're talking crazy. You can't fly. Please come down." Rikku tried to coast to Yuna.

Yuna only shook her head before taking one more step back. Her eyes turned to Tidus and asked for his permission to fall. Just like Sora, Tidus didn't want to let the one he loves get hurt or let her go. But, he had to trust that she knew what she was doing. His job was to trust and protect her. And in order for him to do that, then he had to let her go.

He turned to stare at her. In her eyes was everything he needed to let her go. "Believe." Was all she said. That was enough for him.

With a slow nod of his head, Yuna's lips curved into a smile. She brought her hands to her chest and folded them in a praying manor, her staff in the middle, before falling backwards.

"Yuna!" Everyone shouted as they moved to the edge and watched as she continued to fall.

They looked down, a trail of feathers from her dress were left in her wake. A little ways down, they saw a light flash and Valfore flew down towards her and caught her before bringing her back up to the altar.

"About time." Ke'Ania smiled before she went to work.

She brought her right foot up to kick the first Guado in his stomach. When he bent down, she slammed her chained hands down on him. The second Guado was about to attack him, but Yuna used her lightning element to send a bolt through his chest, killing him instantly.

"Told ya that would work." Yuna laughed nervously as she slid off of Valfore's back and went to retrieve the keys that would release her.

"Yeah, but you had me worried for a second. You were falling too long." Ke'Ania smiled back as she watched Yuna unlock the chains.

"Hold it right there!" Kinoc ordered.

"We're done being your puppets. Yuna?" Ke'Ania smirked.

Yuna raised her staff into the air and caused a stream of lightning bolts to strike the ground before the Maesters and soldiers, giving them enough time to get off the ground and into the air.

"Meet us in the Chamber of the Fayth! We'll be waiting for you!" Yuna shouted before she commanded Valfore to fly in that direction.

"Well you heard her, so we better get moving." Auron said.

"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere." Mika glared.

"Let me handle this." Rikku smirked as she walked in front of them while shaking a grenade. "Cover your eyes and follow me."

Rikku threw the grenade at the ground and started to run, everyone behind her, before it went off. When it did, the Maesters and the soldiers were blinded and confused.

"What the hell was that?" Wakka asked as they kept running.

"An Al Bhed Flash Bomb mixed with a Concussion Grenade." Rikku explained.

"Let go of me Kimahri! I'm going to kill Seymour!" Tidus said as he struggled out of Kimahri's hold.

"Seymour not matter. We go to temple." Kimahri said.

"Let's hurry. Now that they know where we're going, who knows how long we have until they come for us." Lulu stated.

"My guest it won't be long. We need to get the girls and get out, now." Auron ordered.

"Does anyone even know where we're going?" Sora asked.

"I bet Sir Auron knows." Donald interjected.

"Yeah. I'm sure he knows." Goofy agreed.

"Fine, then I'll lead. Follow me." Auron commanded as he moved to lead the group.

…

…

…

They ran all the way to the temple. There was no one there, so they walked inside.

"It's too quiet for my tastes." Lulu stated as she looked around.

"Do you think they may have set a trap for us?" Sora asked.

"There's no doubt in my mind." Tidus huffed.

"Hey, what's this?" Wakka asked.

"Looks like a machina. Hold on, let me try and activate it." Rikku said before going to work.

"Why is it here? The teachings strictly prohibit the use of machina, so why is it in the temple?" Wakka asked again.

"They tried to use forbidden machina to kill us just a few minutes ago. It does not surprise me that they're hiding it in the temple." Auron stated.

"I have it up and running. Come on. It'll lead us to the chamber." Rikku said.

Everyone watched as the stairs disappeared and as a device appeared that would carry them downstairs. They all moved to stand on it and waited as it carried them further into the temple. Wakka was too lost in thought to really pay attention. Lulu was the one who placed a calming hand on his shoulder. Wakka looked into her red eyes and smiled a little bit as he covered her hand with his.

The descend into the temple only lasted a few minutes, but when they got to the bottom another machina was waiting for them.

"Another one?" Wakka asked in shock.

"I see Yevon is in favor of hiding its sins. Rikku, can you work on this one too?" Auron asked.

"Yes." She said before going to work.

"They treated us like dirt and now they're betraying their own teachings… It seems that everything I've ever known is fake. What am I supposed to believe now?" Wakka sighed.

Lulu moved to place her hand back on his shoulders in a comforting way. "You can now start believing what is right."

When Rikku was done, a waterfall turned off and reviled a pathway. No one said anything as they walked down the pathway that would lead them to the Cloister.

When they entered the Cloister, there was only a mini hallway and an alter in front of a platform. Everyone looked at each other before Tidus moved to push the alter to the middle of the platform. It started to glow. Everyone looked at each other before they stepped on the platform. It lit up and took them into the Cloister.

…

…

…

Once they reached the end of the trial, a treasure chest was waiting for them at the end of hallway. No one said anything as Tidus opened the treasure box and pulled out a purple hoodie with a weird circle on the back. Tidus stared at the hoodie for the longest and wondered something.

"What's wrong, Tidus?" Sora asked.

"I've seen this hoodie before." Tidus said as he stood up and closed the treasure box.

"Really? From where?" Rikku asked.

"A little kid. I saw him right before my game in Zanarkand. He said something to me about not being afraid. That's when Sin attacked and I arrived in Spira. He never gave me a name and he really didn't say anything. But he knew a lot about me… I wonder who he was." Tidus explained.

"And you're sure about that? You sure it wasn't just some other kid trying to physic you out?" Wakka questioned.

"Yeah I'm sure. He always had the hood up, but I'll never forget what the hoodie looked like." Tidus answered.

"Who knows. Maybe you've met the new aeon's Fayth. I mean, that's the only explanation for you remembering the hoodie, right?" Goofy suggested.

"AHHHHHH! Who cares if Tidus remembers a hoodie! We have to hurry and get to girls!" Donald yelled.

"He's right. Come on, the chamber is right through there." Lulu said.

Everyone followed her. Tidus lagged behind a little bit, but soon followed them.

…

…

…

"She's in the chamber, praying none the less." Auron stated.

"Then what are we standing around here for? We need to get in there." Tidus said before moving to try and open the door.

Sora moved to help him too, but the door wouldn't budge.

"You can't do that!" Wakka shouted.

"You can stuff your taboos Wakka. You saw the temple yourself. They don't even obey what you're supposed to. Why should you care about them. You even said it yourself that they treated you like dirt, so why do you still care about them?" Sora asked/grunted while they kept trying to open the door.

Wakka shut up at that and thought about it. Everyone thought about it. Sora actually spoke some truth. Why should they care about a religion that's been lying to them? They shouldn't. And Kimahri agreed.

He moved to help the two boys lift the door. With the combined strength of the three of them, the door opened. Sora and Tidus stared at the Ronso and got the ok to go ahead. Together, they went through the door.

…

…

…

Inside the chamber Yuna was praying and Ke'Ania was lying on the floor with her shoes off and looking almost dead.

Sora quietly ran over to her and held her in his arms. "Ke'Ania, are you alright?"

Ke'Ania's eyes slowly fluttered opened and she smiled when she saw Sora. "Hey."

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, just a little drained." She answered.

Sora checked her legs and saw that her flames were back. "You're almost out of magic." Sora stated.

"That and energy. When they kidnapped me and Yuna, they placed these arm guards on me to try and drain me. It's been draining my magic and energy for the past two and an half days." She panted. "Those keys over there… use them to unlock these armguards, please."

Sora didn't even nod. He just grabbed the keys and watched as the armguards fell to the floor with a cling. "What happens now?"

"I need to rest. If I am able to rest, then I'll be back to normal. But, if I find strong lightning source of lightning, then I will heal faster." She explained.

"I've been studying and training and now I can use lightning. Maybe my lightning magic can heal you?"

"I don't know… Since your magic is different from the magic in this world, then it might affect me differently… But we should give it a try." She suggested.

Sora nodded before adding lightning to his hand. When he had enough, he placed his hand on her chest and allowed it to flow inside of her. Her breathing was slow and calming. He watched as the flames on her legs started disappearing. Soon it made it down to her ankles before finally disappearing. When he felt that she had her magic back, Sora slowly removed his hand and used it to support her again.

"So what now?" He asked softly.

"I'm going to rest up. And when I wake up, I'll be healed… Thank you." She smiled, causing him to smile back at her.

Her eyes slowly closed until she was finally in an unconscious state where she could rest. He brushed her bangs behind her pointed ears before kissing her forehead. Tidus was too busy watching Yuna.

Yuna was praying with all her heart and he could tell, but what was throwing him off was the little kid that he knew was floating above Bahamut's statue.

"What's that?" Tidus asked.

"_**It's a Fayth."**_ Auron said, startling him.

Tidus jumped. "Where the hell did you come from?"

"Just pay attention." He sighed. "A Fayth is the spirit that lives within the aeon's statue. They also give the summoner the power of the aeon and allow them to call upon them when needed." Auron explained.

Tidus only nodded before going back to watching the exchange between Yuna and the Fayth. Without even noticing, Auron slipped back into the other room. Tidus just stood there and watched as the Fayth nodded before entering Yuna. He summoner's body became stiff for a few minutes until it finally fell down.

"Yuna!" Tidus yelled before running to her side.

Yuna didn't answer, her body was limp while she was in an unconscious state. Tidus held her in his arms and, before looking at Sora, he hoisted her into his arms and the two started carrying the girls out of the chamber.

…

…

…

"Don't come out!" They heard Rikku shouted, but it was too late.

"What's going on here?" Sora asked.

"You eleven are to stand trial against the crimes you have committed." Kinoc answered.

"It had better be a fair trial." Auron glared.

"Of course. What kind of a man would I be if I didn't give an old friend a fair trial." Kinoc teased. "Take them away." The soldiers surrounded them. Two walked up to Tidus and Sora and took the girls away from them. "When these two wake up, the trial will commence. Be ready for any day. Until then, you all will stay in prison."

"Hey! You can't take them!" Tidus shouted.

Both Sora and Tidus tried to grab the girls back, but they were held at gun point. "I suggest that you don't do anything that will make your sentence worse." The fat Maester advised. "Take them to their cells."

…

…

…

**To Be Continued…**

The girls finally wake up and they stand trial, only to find out the truth about their religion.


	30. Yevon the Fake

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Nothing special. Kissing scenes.

**Chapter 27: Yevon the Fake**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

"**LET US OUT!" **Tidus yelled through the bars.

"**YEAH! YOU CAN'T KEEP US HERE! WHERE ARE KE'ANIA AND YUNA? LET US OUT!"** I screamed too.

Ever since we were cornered in the Chamber of the Fayth, we've been locked away in these cells that are suspended above the ground by chains. We've been trapped her for two days. Kinoc told us that we were going to be put on trial when the girls finally woke up. That tells us that they haven't woken up yet. That could be a good or bad thing. All I care about is knowing about they're safety.

"**LET US OUT OF HERE!"** Tidus and I commanded as we kept kicking and yanking on the handle bars.

"_**You might as well give up. It's pointless. No one is around to hear your cries."**_ Auron stated in the cell across from us.

We were separated. Tidus and I are in one cell. Wakka is with Lulu. Rikku is with Auron. And Donald and Goofy are with Kimahri. They thought that if we were together than we would cause more trouble, so they said it would be better to separate us. We've tried coming up with a plan to escape, but never followed through with it in fear of being killed.

"There has to be _**someone**_ around to make demands of." Rikku said before moving to grip the bars of her and Auron's cell. **"HEY, ASSHOLES! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR US! YOU LET US OUT RIGHT THIS INSTANT OR ELSE I'LL USE MY LIGHTNING MAGIC TO FRY YOUR HEARTS INTO CHARCOAL! DO YA HEAR ME? HEY?"** Rikku yelled at the top of her lungs while yanking on the bars.

"Auron's right, Rikku. It's really no use. We might as well wait here until they come to get us. There's nothing else to do around here anyway." Lulu sighed while leaning against the bars in her cell.

"If I were you, I wouldn't worry. I'm sure if we just explain to the Maesters what's going on, then they might give us leniency." Wakka smiled nervously.

"After everything they did to us, you still believe in that Yevon crap?" Tidus asked.

"Of course I do!" Wakka snapped back.

"Why?" I asked.

"I've been a believer since I was a child. It was all I had, besides Chappu, to help keeping me going. I won't just toss it aside so easily. There must be an explanation for all of this. And I'm sure they'll provide us with one at the trial. There's no way they wouldn't treat us this way without a valid reason." Wakka said in wavering confidence.

"But, you saw the same Bevelle Temple we did. You saw that they're hiding secrets and betraying their own teachings. Having saw the same things we saw… Then why you stand with them after they threw us in here like next Tuesday's trash?" Donald asked him.

Wakka didn't say anything. He only moved to sit next to Lulu with his head down and his hands between his opened legs.

Lulu reached out and placed a comforting hand on Wakka's broad shoulder. "Wakka… I know that Yevon is something that you've believed in since you were a child, so did I. But, you can't deny what we all saw. You can only live in an illusion for so long." Lulu softly said. Wakka flinched at her words, so she quickly changed things up. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we'll find a proper explanation at the trail. Just hold on a little longer, ok?" She smiled. Wakka only nodded slowly before placing his hand over hers and squeezing it for comfort.

Goofy and Donald saw the exchange between the two and sighed. "How long do you think they'll keep us here?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know. They said they'll come get us when the girls wake up." Donald stated before sighing. "I hope they're ok."

"Of course they are!" Rikku shouted. "And once we meet up with each other, then we'll be able to escape this horrid place."

"What makes you so sure?" Auron questioned.

"Rikku believes in Yuna's strength. She believe that we be alright. Just like Kimahri believe." Kimahri spoke.

"Ya know… there's something I just thought about…" Tidus started, causing everyone to look at him. "What is Rikku's dad was right? Why should we make Yuna continue her pilgrimage? I care about her, and so do the rest of you, so why are we not stopping her?" Auron opened his mouth to speak, but Tidus cut him off. I already know what you're going to say. It's something she wants to do. But, what if it's not? What if she feels like she's obligated to do it because her father did it or because she thinks she has an obligation the people of Spira or to Yevon? Was she ever given another option? What if she feels like this was something she has to do because she doesn't know anything else?"

That got me to thinking. I know that Yuna could become a summoner by choice. But, Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy, and I didn't have a choice. We were chosen to save all the worlds from Darkness, but Yuna… Yuna chose to become a summoner. She chose this life style, but was Tidus right? What if she feels obligated to become a summoner?

"What if you're right, Tidus?" I asked. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but I was only looking at Tidus. "What if she feels like she owes those people something? I mean, did anybody even ask why she wanted to become a summoner in the first place?"

"She just said that it was something she had to do and we left it at that. She never really talked about it again?" Wakka answered.

"This doesn't make any sense! Why does everything in Spira revolve around death?" Rikku yelled with her hands on her head.

"It's the Spiral of Death." Auron said.

"The Spiral of Death? What's that?" Goofy asked.

"It describes the death in Spira. Summoners challenge Sin and end up dead by the end of the battle. Guardians give their life to protect their summoners. The Fayth are the souls of people the people that were killed in the war. Even the Maesters, leaders of Yevon, are unsent and kept from the Farplane because of their objectives. Fiends come from the anger that radiates from the dead. Everything in Sin comes from or is evolved with something dead. Sin is no exception. Sin may be the only thing reborn, but it brings death to the people of Spira. More times than not… Sin is the creator of fiends and the ender of lives." Auron explained.

"That's sad." Donald said in sadness.

"That's a horrible life to live. Won't things ever change?" I asked.

"_**No. And nothing will change. Nothing needs to change. You may think that this life is horrible, but it's perfect for me."**_ Kinoc smirked as he stood on the aisle below us.

"Time for our execution already?" Auron chuckled.

"I'm saddened by your words, Auron. I mean, what kind of person would execute their dear friend?" Kinoc grinned evilly.

"You would." Auron said, whipping the smile from Kinoc's face.

"I hope you have that same attitude when you and your party are being tried." Kinoc said before moving his hand. We watched as two guards brought in a struggling Ke'Ania, causing us to jump to our feet. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were chained together with the chain long enough for her to walk but not long enough to kick her free. On her mouth was a piece of duct tape. "This one I know will be still be the same throughout the whole trail."

"Ke'Ania!" Donald, Goofy, and I gasped. "Why is she tied up like that?" I demanded to know.

"She was a little on the wild side when she found out that she might be executed with the rest of you after the trail. She tried to run with Yuna, but we caught them and had to restrain them both. This one had to get restrained the most because she was the feistiest one out of the two." Kinoc grinned before moving to remove the duct tape from her mouth.

"_**I SWEAR TO YOU, KINOC! ONCE I GET OUT OF THESE CHAINS AND ESCAPE THIS PLACE, I'LL KILL YOU! I DON'T GIVE A DAMN HOW GOOD OF A FRIEND YOU ARE WITH AURON! YOU ARE SOMEONE THIS WORLD COULD DO WITHOUT! AND I'LL BE THE PERSON TO DO THAT FAVOR THE PEOPLE OF THIS BROKEN PLACE!" **_Ke'Ania raved with her red and black eyes shining in the dim light of this place.

"Yeah. Yeah. We'll see how far you get after this trail is over. Guards! Release them and chain them up. There are a few who look as daring as this girl right here." Kinoc ordered. A few more guards entered the room and did as they were told. They released us and placed us in chains like the criminals they're treating us as. When we were restrained, the guards moved behind us, except the two still escorting Ke'Ania, while Kinoc moved to stand before us. "I'm going to lead to you to court room. I suggest you all stay on your best behavior, or else you'll be executed by my guards." He smirked while walking to Ke'Ania and getting close to her face. "That goes for you the most, missy." He pulled his head back when he heard Ke'Ania let out a growl. "Let's go."

We started walking through the doors to the court room where our fates were going to be decided.

…

…

…

"_**The High Court of Yevon is now in session."**_ A deep voice spoke.

The lights flashed on and reviled the four Maesters: Seymour, Kinoc, Mika, and a Maester I never met before.

"Who's he?" I asked.

"That's Maester Kelk Ronso. Apparently… that's who we'll be sentenced by." Lulu answered.

"_**The officers of this court only seek the truth in Yevon's good name. Summoner Yuna and her party, do those of you on trail believe in Yevon?"**_ Maester Kelk Ronso asked.

"Yes." Yuna answered.

We all stood quietly and watched as Yuna was being tried for things we all did by the Ronso Maester.

"_**Summoner Yuna, as a summoner it is your duty to protect the people of Spira, yes?"**_

"Yes." Yuna nodded calmly.

"_**If that is your duty, then why am I trying you for the following crimes?" **_He then pulled out a scroll and read from there. _**"Dealing server damage upon Maester Seymour Guado, conspired and cooperated with the Al Bhed in an operation against Sin, your party caused many deaths among the soldiers of Yevon. What do you have to say to that?"**_ The Ronso Maester said.

Yuna only held her head down for a few moments before staring down the Maesters. "Maesters of Yevon… the real traitor… is Maester Seymour." She said strongly while pointing to Seymour.

"_**What does she mean by this?"**_ Maester Kelk asked in curiosity.

"Haven't you heard? I am already dead. But, because I still have more important things to do, I have chosen to remain here instead of passing on." Seymour answered with a shrug.

"He is also guilty of killing Maester Jyscal. I discovered the sphere that he left. On it was his will and his confession that he was killed by his son, Maester Seymour. It is my duty to send the dead. I did it for Lord Jyscal, and was trying to do it for Maester Seymour as well." Yuna explained. The room was silence, allowing Yuna to continue. "Maester Mika… Please send Maester Seymour now."

"You want me to send the unsent to the Farplane where they belong? Is that what you ask of me?" He asked.

"Yes. Please Maester Mika. I cannot do it so it is up to you to do it." Yuna pleaded.

We watched in confusion as Mika started laughing. "You ask me to do something that I cannot. Because if I did… then I would be sent as well." Mika continued to chuckle while also letting some Pyreflies leak out of him, confusing us even more.

"What the hell?" Ke'Ania said in confusion.

"Maester Mika… you're dead too?" Yuna gasped.

"This can't be true." Wakka gasped.

"Maester Mika is very valuable to the followers of Yevon. Even in death, we allow him to lead us into a brighter future with Yevon as the strongest thing in all of Spira. That is why he is so valuable to keep around." Kelk Ronso explained.

"It's better to have an old wise leader than have this religion suffer at the hands of some of the misguided people who are still living." Kinoc snorted.

"Yevon must grow stronger, so we keep the people who make it strong around and get rid of the people who will only harm it." Seymour stated.

"You people said that a summoner must perform a sad dance, known as a Sending, to send our loved ones so that they do not become fiends. And yet you would keep the very thing we're forced to let go? That's not fair!" Rikku shouted.

"Keeping _**your**_ people around would only weaken Yevon. You do not believe in us and we don't need _**your **_people causing revolt among our faithful followers. Letting people like you live will only hurt our cause." Kinoc snubbed.

"Spira is surrounded by death, young ones. Everything has to die eventually. The only thing that is eternal… is Sin." Mika spoke, making all of us gasp.

"That's a lie. The teachings tell us that summoners will bring about the destruction of Sin. They say that it'll be gone one day after finally atoning for our sins. It's the same hope that tucks children into bed when their parents are gone. That's the same inspiration and allows us summoners to become summoners. It's the very reason everyone looks forward to the ten year Calm we have after the defeat of Sin. So, knowing all of this… do you mean to tell me that everything that has happened: The sacrifices, the tragic deaths, the fear that strikes people at the mere mention of Sin's name… Were they in vein?" Yuna yelled.

"No. The courage of the summoners is the hope that the people of Spira rely on. The cycle between Sin and a summoner is never ending, but it is never futile. Yes, a summoner will lose their lives, even if Sin is not defeated, but it's their deaths that let the people have their peace and make us stronger. Believe me when I say that nothing is meaningless in a summoner's life. The only thing that will not change is the ever ending return of Sin to Spira. Soon… it will kill us all. And, even after that, it will still keep coming back." Mika informed.

"That can't be right? No! That's… that's impossible." Wakka stuttered.

"These are the truths of Yevon. And any who oppose them are forever traitor of Yevon and sentenced to death." Mika glared at us.

Everyone gasped at Mika's words except for Ke'Ania. She was standing next to me and I could sense the powerful waves of rage flowing out of her.

"_**YOU MONSTERS! YOU FILL THESE PEOPLE WITH FALSE HOPE AND MAKE THEM SUFFER EVEN MORE THAN THEY ALREADY HAVE JUST TO HELP YOUR CAUSE!" **_I turned my head to see that Ke'Ania's entire body was shaking with rage. _**"THAT ENDS TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO GET OUT OF HERE AND WE'RE GOING TO EXPOSE YOU BASTARDS FOR WHAT YOU REALLY ARE… TYRANT HYPOCRITES!"**_

"You will not be doing anything. The place where you're going is going to make sure that you'll die without worry. You won't be causing us anymore worry or dread. I sentence Lady Yuna and her party to be divided and executed. That is final." Mika commanded.

Guards started to file in and grab each of us by our arms. I could see Ke'Ania struggling the hardest against the guards. They took us through the doors and led some of us through. The last thing I heard were the struggles of everyone in the group and Yuna's last cry for Mika to speak with him.

…

…

…

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

"_I hope you enjoy your stay down here in the Via Purifico. This will be your final resting place."_

Those same words, belonging to one of the guards, kept ringing in my head for the past hour. They threw me down here about an hour ago and I haven't met anyone yet. I've just been sitting in this corner the whole time, thinking. I felt like a failure. I've been with Yuna this whole time and I could never once truly protect her. It was true that I had the magic draining chains on me at the time, but I still felt like I could've done something. Now, because I couldn't protect her… I'm sitting in this dimly lit, damp, and cold place, bound by my hands and feet, and with these same draining chains on me again. I've been sitting up so long that I started to feel stiff, so I shifted over to lie on the ground. The ground was damp and cool against my shivering, sore body. I can't fight, I have no energy or magic left in me. I can hardly even stand. Thoughts of me dying in this place started to fill my head. I denied them at first, but then they started to feel more like a reality. Knowing that I was going to die here, I just closed my eyes and waited for death to take me.

"_**I can't believe that you're giving up."**_ A familiar voice said. _**"I'm disappointed in you, Kitten."**_

I opened my eyes and found that I was inside the world in my head. I moved to sit up and saw a woman with jet black hair, silver eyes, two purple lightning marks on each cheek, and dressed in a red outfit laying before me.

"What is it Entée? I don't really have time for this." I sighed.

"_**Then what do you have time for? Dying?" **_ She glared, but I barely caught it because I turned my head away from her. I heard her sigh before I heard movement. I guess she's standing now. _**"What happened to you?"**_

"Nothing. I've just accepted my fate. They threw me down here to die. I can't get free from these chains and I'm almost out of magic and energy already and it's only an hour. How am I supposed to go on and protect everyone if I can't even save myself?" I asked while turning to look at her.

"_**That's for you to figure out, Hun. But, you better do it fast or else you will die. And I know you don't want that."**_ I didn't say anything back. I just turned my blue gaze to the ground. That's when she lifted my head before smacking me hard in the face. The force behind that smack caused me to fall to the ground with a hand mark on my face. _**"You disgust me. You're not the Ke'Ania I know. You're weak, pathetic, and deserve to die down here. The Ke'Ania I know wouldn't just up like that. She would fight to her last breath and then some, not just accept the possibility that she MIGHT die. Now get your ass up and show me that you're worthy of being my vessel, or else I'll step outside of your body and kill you myself!"**_ She growled before sending me back.

When I opened my eyes, I was back in the Via Purifico and still chained up. My cheek still burned from Entée's smack, but it did wake me up and realize something. I'm not dead yet and may still have a fighting chance. My duty is to protect the people around me until I die. I'm not dead yet, so I have to get up and try to get out of here. I may not have a lot of magic or energy left, but hopefully it'll be enough to last me until I find everyone.

With the new determination in my head and my black irises, I started to focus some of my ice magic onto my chains. If I could freeze them enough, then I will be able to break them. That was my plan. I struggled to get enough ice to freeze them completely, but I finally did it and was able to break both sets of chains.

"_Now all I have to do is find Yuna and the others."_ I thought to myself before standing to move out of my corner.

"_**That's my kitten. I guess smacking you in the face gave you the wakeup call you needed."**_I felt her smirk.

"_Yeah it did. Thanks for that."_ I smiled.

I kept walking, but stopped when I heard something. I turned to my right and saw some water being spat my way. I jumped back and dodged it. Wondering where it came from, I turned to my right and saw three fish like fiends with claws on the edge of their fiends.

"Oh so they have fiends down here? No wonder they said that most people die down here. If it's not from getting lost, then it'll be from fiends attacking you when you're at your lowest. Alright then…" I summoned my Keyblades and stood in my fighting position. "Come at me."

They moved to spit water at me again, but I managed to dodge it before swinging my Lovely Keyblade and killing one of them. I was too busy slicing one up, that I missed one seeking up behind me. I hissed in pain when I felt its claws hit me on my arm before swing my arm around and killing it. I looked down and saw that there were three slash marks on my left arm and blood pouring out of them and onto my white glove.

"Damnit. And I wouldn't have enough magic to heal myself too." I cursed before looking at the last fish fiend before me.

It shot water at me again, but I moved out of the way before running up to it and slashing upward. My Yin-Yang Keyblade made a clean slice through it and let the Pyreflies fly free. I once again looked down at the scars on my arm and hissed in pain when I tried to touch it. Blood kept spilling out of it, so I used my water magic to clean the wound. Some of the bleeding stopped, but it was still leaking in some places. I couldn't let that stop me though. I had to keep going.

I kept moving until I heard some hissing. That's when I saw two lizard like fiends and another one for those fish fiends.

"Perfect." I sighed.

Sora and Tidus were the ones that usually handle them, because their faster than the rest of us. But, because I didn't have neither of them around, I had to figure out how to fight them without really using my magic.

Both of the lizards kept hissing at me before one tried to jump on me. I'll admit that I was scared and ended up swinging wildly. When I opened my eyes, the lizard fiend was gone.

"Well, that worked better than I thought." I said to myself.

The other lizard just hissed more at me before running towards me. I moved out of the way, but it moved with me. I couldn't get away. So I used a little ice magic to freeze its feet before bringing both my Keyblades down on it. That left only the fish fiend. It tried to jump at me, but I moved out of the way and sliced through it easily.

Once those three were defeated, I kept moving through the maze like dungeon.

…

…

…

It had been about another hour of me fighting fiends down in this dungeon. I suffered more injures. I now have slash marks running along both my thighs and calves, on my cheek, and across my torso. All of them burn like hell, especially the one on my torso. After I got the slash marks on my stomach, some of the fish fiend's water got into the wound and infected it. Now the bleeding won't stop. I had to start using my magic to fight because I was too busy applying pressure to my wound.

I was in trouble. I was starting to feel dizzy, I was running out of magic and energy, and I still have yet to find anyone. I'm in some real trouble. I had to stop walking and lean against the wall. My stomach wound felt like it was getting worse by the minute. I felt like I was going to die. That's when I heard footsteps. Thinking that it's another fiend, I readied my lightning magic while trying to stand up. This was the last magic I had left, so any fights after this… I'm just going to have to try and escape.

I took a deep breath before turning the corner and stopping. Standing in front of me was Yuna, Lulu, Auron, Goofy, and Kimahri. When we realized that we were safe, we all lowered our guards.

"Ke'Ania? Is it really you?" Yuna asked as she stepped towards me.

"Yeah. It's me." I smiled. She squealed in excitement before running towards me and hugging me, but stopped when I started to hiss in pain. She let go of me and looked down with the rest of the group. They looked at me in concern after seeing my injuries. "I'm fine. I got hurt while trying to find you guys. I had to start using my magic when I got the wound on my stomach, so now I'm all out. Ha. Good thing you found me, huh?" I laughed, but stopped when the pain in my stomach started again.

"Here, lie down and let Lulu and me heal you." Yuna said.

I nodded before doing as I was told. Both of them kneeled beside me at went to work. I watched as Lulu added some of her lightning magic to her hand.

"I don't know if this will heal you completely, but it'll at least give you enough strength until we find the rest of the group." She said. I nodded and allowed her to put her hand to my chest. I felt the lightning course through me, and it felt good. I felt it recharging me, After a few minutes, she pulled her hand away. "How do you feel?"

"Better. Thank you." I nodded with a smile.

"No it's my turn." Yuna said before she used her white magic powers to heal me. "Were you able to find anyone while you were in here?"

"No. I was just lucky enough to find you five." I answered.

"So you haven't even found Donald or Sora?" Goofy asked.

I only shook my head.

"There are other parts of the Via Purifico. They might be in another part." Auron suggested.

"I hope so." I sighed before closing my eyes. I could feel my wounds closing up as the healing process continued. After a few more minutes, Yuna finally pulled away. "There. Now you might have a little scaring, but that'll fade in a day or two." She said. I nodded a thank you before trying to stand up. "Don't push yourself. Your wounds might open back up. I don't want you straining yourself. Kimahri, can you please carry her until we find the others?"

Kimahri nodded before walking over to me and scooping me up in his arms.

"Thank you." I said. He only nodded. "So, did yall find a way out of here?"

"No, but we'll keep searching. You just rest up." Lulu said.

I nodded and buried my face in Kimahri's fur. "Kimahri… Your fur is soft."

…

…

…

"Hey guys, check this out!' Goofy yelled, waking me up.

"_I guess I must've fallen asleep."_

"What is it Goofy?" Yuna asked.

"I think it's a way out. I don't recall us ever taking this path." He stated.

We looked forward and thought the same thing. The path was almost pitch black, except there were red lights lighting the pathway.

"Then let's go. This has to be the way out." Auron spoke. We followed the samurai down the path, but stopped when we saw someone else at the end. "Identify yourself."

It was Isaaru that emerged from the shadows. "Lady Yuna? … … So, it is you. I had hoped that it wasn't." He sighed.

"Isaaru? What are you doing down here?" Yuna asked.

"After the airship, piloted by your uncle, dropped us off in the Calm Lands we walked to Bevelle. When we got there, Maester Kinoc had ordered called for me to deal with the 'traitors'. I had hoped that it wasn't you or your party, but I had my doubts when they didn't return after crashing your wedding." Isaaru explained.

"Are you going to let us pass?" I started.

"Or are you going to fight us?" Lulu finished.

"Yevon's word is law. I must do what is asked of me from my Maesters. I must kill you traitors." Isaaru stated before summoning his Ifrit. "Please forgive me, Lady Yuna."

Yuna didn't say a word. She only gripped her staff tightly in her hands and used said staff to summon her Shiva. "I hope you're ready to lose." Yuna returned with determination and anger in her voice.

Ifrit ran towards Shiva with the intent to kill her. But right when he brought his arm down to hit her, the female ice aeon back flipped out of the way and hit sent him flying away from her. That must've angered the male fire aeon because when he landed on his feet, Ifrit unleashed a meteor ball. To protect herself and us, Shiva put up an ice shield. When Ifrit's attack landed, some of the ice melted but it was still standing. Angered by this even more, Ifrit kept throwing his meteor balls at it until the ice completely melted. When there was only just the two of them standing, the match ended with Shiva as the winner. When Ifrit finally melted all of the ice shield, Shiva used her Diamond Dusk to put him on ice and defeat him. Once Ifrit disappeared, Yuna dismissed Shiva.

"I see that you've grown stronger since we last met. But no matter." Isaaru said before summoning his Valefor. "I will end your life for the sake of Yevon."

"I thank you for your compliment, but I will not being the one dying in this place." Yuna snapped back.

With a steady hand, she raised her staff in the air. We watched as she twirled her staff gracefully between her fingers until suddenly we heard a loud roar. The aeon's sign appeared above us. When we looked up, everyone had amazement in our eyes. Yuna's giant aeon with red, yellow, and pink wings flew out of the symbol and swooped down passed us and towards Yuna. When it landed, some of the ground came up while it roared and stood at her side with its arms folded.

"This is my new aeon, Bahamut." Yuna introduced before turning to her aeon. "Please, help me win this battle."

Bahamut nodded while staring Valefor down. From the looks of things, Bahamut had Isaaru's Valefor easily beat. Isaaru's Valefor flew towards Yuna's Bahamut. She went to attack him, but Bahamut just moved aside and swung his arm at her. His hand connected with her body and sent the flying aeon hurling into the wall behind Isaaru. When she hit the wall, the force was enough to weaken her fully.

"Bahamut, end this quickly by using your Mega Flare." Yuna commanded.

He only nodded before giving a mighty roar. After roaring, Bahamut did a black flip and landed on the ground. He stomped his feet into the ground to make sure he had a grip while the wheel on his back started to spin. It started out slow until it rapidly started to spin rapidly. Even though I was behind it, I could see light form around his mouth before beams shot out of his mouth and towards the weakened Valefor. When the beams stopped flowing from his mouth, Bahamut slowly stood up and folded his arms. The rays exploded around Valefor, engulfing her. When the rays were done, Valefor's body was no more. Yuna turned to Bahamut and nodded in appreciation and dismissal. Bahamut nodded before taking flight through his symbol on the top of the ceiling.

As I watched this, I started to wonder; _"Where do the aeons go until they're summoned?"_

Not knowing the answer, I pushed the question aside and turned my attention back to the battle. Isaaru summoned his Bahamut without batting an eyelash. "I cannot let you pass."

Yuna used her staff to summon her Valefor. When she came down, Yuna gently rubbed the spikes on the back of her head. "If you will not clear a path for us… then I will make one for us." Valefor moved from Yuna's side to floating above her.

Isaaru's Bahamut flew towards Valefor and attacked her, but it looked like it didn't even faze her.

"I do not understand. Bahamut is supposed to be one of the strongest aeons, how does your Valefor look unaffected by his attack?" Isaaru questioned in shock.

"It's not about the strength an aeon holds. It's about the bond you share with that aeon. I may have just obtained Bahamut, but I made a strong connection with his aeon. Just like with Valefor. She's been with me since I started my pilgrimage, so her bond with me has grown stronger, making her my most powerful aeon." Yuna explained before turning to said aeon. "Please, Valefor, I must ask you to end this quickly. We do not have time to waste."

Valefor nodded and prepared herself to perform Energy Blast. Her symbol spun around rapidly while releasing multiple energy rays. After they were over Bahamut's Pyreflies were already disappearing. Yuna gave one final pat to Valefor's spikes before dismissing her.

When we looked on the ground, Isaaru was laying there and looking defeated. Yuna walked up to him.

"Please, have mercy." Isaaru begged.

"I am not here to slay you. Just tell use the way out of here and I will not tell anyone of this." Yuna bargained.

"There's an exit up ahead. Just keep walking straight and you should end up in front of Bevelle. But, you better not spend too much time there. The Yevonites will hunt you down if they find out you and your party escaped." Isaaru explained.

"Do you know the whereabouts of our friends?" Lulu asked.

"No. I just know that I was asked to take care you few. They said that there was a 'surprise' waiting on the others in the other part of the Via Purifico."

"You know how to get there?" Kimahri asked.

"No. But, if they survived, then you'll meet them in front of Bevelle. I am told both exits end there." Isaaru answered.

I looked around and noticed that his guardians weren't there for the first time. "Where are your guardians?" I questioned.

"I told them to stay hidden in the temple. They did not have to see what I was sent here to do." He said with his head down.

"Thank you for your assistance and I do apologize for any injuries you've obtained. Tell that to Pacce and Maroda." Yuna bowed before leaving.

"Sorry she had to beat you up." Goofy apologized while following Yuna.

Auron walked passed Isaaru and stated; "You're pilgrimage is over."

Kimahri merely adjusted me in his arms before following the rest of the group with Lulu besides us.

…

…

…

**Normal P.O.V.**

The gang followed Isaaru's instructions and found their way to the front of Bevelle.

"We're here… So where are they?" Lulu asked.

Kimahri let Ke'Ania down. When her feet touched the ground, she had to find her footing but eventually she was able to stand and walk without her legs feeling like jello. They all looked around until Ke'Ania saw something floating around in the water. With a more careful look, she could make out the figures of her friends.

"There they are!" She cheered.

Everyone ran over to the side of the path in front of Bevelle and helped someone out of the water. Goofy hugged Donald to death. Lulu couldn't let Wakka go. Rikku and Auron nodded in greeting to one another. Ke'Ania and Yuna practically crushed Sora and Tidus to death in their grips.

"You're killing us." Donald, Tidus, Sora, and Wakka grunted.

"Sorry." The girls and Goofy apologized.

"How did yall escape?" Ke'Ania asked.

"They basically threw us into the water and left us there to die. And to make sure that we wouldn't survive, they shot us all in different parts in our body." Sora told while showing Ke'Ania his scar.

"Do you need any healing?" Yuna asked after gasping.

"No, Donald already did it for us." Tidus answered.

"What else happened while you were down there?" Lulu questioned.

"We ended up fighting Evrae again." Wakka added.

"Evrae? You mean the fiend that guards Bevelle? You fought it?" Ke'Ania said in awe.

"Yep and kicked its ass too. That's what those Pyreflies you saw before we arrived." Sora grinned.

"But, if you defeated it then why did you have to fight it again?" Yuna asked.

"It wasn't exactly Evrae. More like a zombie version of it. Which, I didn't even know it was possible." Rikku informed.

"So that was the surprise Isaaru was talking about." Lulu said to herself.

"What surprised?" Donald questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"When we were escaping the Via Purifico, we ran into Isaaru. He was sent here, by that Kinoc guy, to kill us if he saw us escaping. But he was the one that told us where to go after Yuna and her aeons took him and his aeons down." Goofy smiled.

"You beat Isaaru with your aeons?" Tidus spoke with interest and awe.

Yuna's checks were dusted with pink as she raised her fist to her mouth and looked away. "He wouldn't let us pass, so I had to fight him by myself. He wanted an aeon battle." She stated shyly.

"You guys should've seen it! She was so brave and determined. She really handed Isaaru his ass today!" Ke'Ania cheered as she stood by Yuna's side.

"It was no big deal, really." Yuna blushed harder.

"Without your bravery, we wouldn't have been able to pass and Isaaru would've killed us… Thank you, Yuna." Lulu nodded with a smile.

"You guys are really giving me too much credit!" She stuttered.

"Hey, Yuna." Tidus called, making Yuna face him. He gave her a loving, gentle smile that only made her blush more, especially when he placed his hands on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"Really?" She gasped lightly, causing him to nod. "I haven't heard that in so long, I actually forgot how good it felt. Thanks." She smiled back.

"I'm glad you said that because when we get out of here… I have a lot of apologizing to do." He stated with a nervous laugh. Yuna laughed too, but nodded in understanding. Yes, they did have a lot to speak on.

Ke'Ania and Sora were really the only people watching the two, until Sora looked down at Ke'Ania's ripped clothing and scratched body.

"Ke'Ania? Are you ok? How do you feel?" Sora asked.

"I'm fine, why?" Ke'Ania watched as Sora stared at her before realizing what he meant. "I'm fine. I just got a little banged up while I was down in that dungeon like place. Lulu and Yuna healed me, but I'm a little low on magic." She confesses.

"I'll give you the rest of my lightning power. That should give you enough power to last you until we're out of Bevelle." Sora said as he allowed lightning to flow to his hand.

When he had enough, Sora placed his hand over Ke'Ania's heart and pushed lightly. Ke'Ania closed her eyes and sighed in contentment as the lightning element pulsed through her. Sora could feel her heart beating rapidly, but he only chalked it up to the lightning's doing. Although, when she brought her hand up to cover his, Sora's own heart started to rapidly beat faster too. When his lightning magic ran out, Sora was about to pull his hand away but Ke'Ania's kept it in place as she opened her eyes to revel her fuchsia/ green eyes. They were beautiful because he had never seen that combination in a long time. They've been too busy learning, exploring, fighting, and surviving for him to really look at them. Added to the couple of days they hadn't seen each other, Sora really missed her eyes, just like Ke'Ania missed his constant ocean blue orbs that allowed her to drown in them every time.

Lulu and Wakka weren't too different from them. The whole time they were separated, both guardians were worried about each other. They had never been separated for more than a day from each other. To be away from each other for one another and not know what the other's health status was making them go insane. Now that they were standing in front of each other, they didn't know what to say. Wakka was covered in scratches and bruises, but that was natural for him. He was reckless after all. Lulu on the other hand was almost clean from scratches and bruises, which was common for her. They were just glad that they were reunited again and the other was alright for the most part.

"Lu… I…" Wakka started, but couldn't finish.

He started to rub the back of his head nervously, his cheeks were pink, and his heart was racing a little bit. He felt like butterflies roaming around in his stomach. His palms felt like they were going to start sweating soon. He felt worse than a first time speech giver. There are a bunch of words floating around in his head and heart that wouldn't come out. He felt just awful. Lulu, on the other hand, knew what he was suffering through and could only shake her head, smirk, and take his hands in hers.

"It's alright… I know. You don't have to say a word." Lulu smiled.

Wakka smiled back, tighten his grip on her hands, and leaned into her with a smile of his own.

It was one of the few tender moments they got to share while in this world, so all three sets of people wanted to drink in as much of said moment as much as possible.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your tender moment, but we do have a lot of people who want us dead still chasing us. I suggest you do this on your own time when we don't have to worry about being killed by Yevon or her followers." Auron said with a clear of his throat before walking away with Donald, Goofy, Rikku, and Kimahri behind him.

Everyone looked around and say that Wakka, Lulu, Yuna, Tidus, Sora, and Ke'Ania were all lost in the tender moment they were sharing with one another. After realizing what they were doing each of them jumped away from each other laughed it off and started to follow the other up ahead.

"_**Halt!" **_Someone ordered, causing the group to turn around. Seymour was there with several guards and Kinoc. Looking closely, the group could see that the front guard was holding Kinoc by the back of his robes. _**"Leaving so soon? But, you haven't seen the good part yet."**_ The blue haired man smirk.

"What good part?" Wakka asked.

The front guard dropped Kinoc's body and it fell to the ground, lifeless, causing the crowd to gasp.

Auron made his way to the front of the group with anger and sadness in his eyes and voice. "You… How dare you kill him?"

"I saved him. He is no longer suffering. He was suffering because of his fear of losing the power he obtained. In death, there are no fears, sorrows, pains, sufferings, uncertainties. That is what I have saved him from. There are only pleasures and peace awaiting you pass death. " Seymour explained with a chuckle.

"You're a monster." Yuna gasped.

"Do not be afraid. I plan on doing the same for both you and all of Spira. I will save Spira by destroying it with your help. I don't plan on letting this place continue to spiral down when I can set you free by sending you to your peaceful slumber." Seymour added.

"It's official, you've lost your damn mind." Ke'Ania spoke.

Kimahri was the one who ran towards Seymour, with his spear and stabbed Seymour in his cold chest. Seymour looked down at the object in his chest and just shook his head.

"Since you require death so much… I will grant it to you." Was all Seymour said before using the Pyreflies from Kinoc and his guards to transform into a white being with purple armor, wings, and a robotic contraption hanging off his right shoulder. "Consider this your final act as a guardian."

"Kimahri!" Yuna yelled as she ran to his side.

"Go Yuna. Kimahri will handle this." The Ronso said as he held his ground firmly.

"No! I refuse to leave you behind. We'll fight together." She stated while gripping her staff in her hands.

"Yuna can't fight. Yuna must survive. Kimahri guardian. Kimahri not care if Kimahri die. Kimahri willing to give up life to protect Yuna and friends. That what Kimahri do." The Ronso said with no room for exceptions or come backs.

"But, Kimahri…" Yuna started.

"Run and take Yuna! Kimahri deal with Maester Seymour!" He roared in command.

Tidus walked up to Yuna and grabbed her by the hand. "Come on. We have to go."

Yuna looked back at Kimahri one last time with sorrow in her eyes. "Please be careful."

Her faithful guardian nodded with a smile. His smile lasted until they were almost out of his sight. Once his smile disappeared, Kimahri turned back and glared the transformed Seymour down.

"_**You dare stand against me alone? You fool."**_ Seymour smirked before he grabbed Kimahri's spear, yanked it out of his chest, and threw the Ronso aside.

Kimahri landed on his feet, spun his spear around in his hand, and stood his ground firmly. "Kimahri no fool. Kimahri do what's right. Kimahri will protect Yuna and friends…" That's when he took off at full speed, jumped in the air, and readied his spear to attack Seymour. "Even at the cost of Kimahri's life!"

…

…

…

They kept running until Yuna stopped and pulled her hand out of Tidus's.

"I won't leave Kimahri behind! I'm going to turn back and fight by his side! I he dies, then I will die with him! I won't abandon my friend! He's been with me since I was seven and I refuse to just abandon him when he has never done that to me!" Yuna yelled before turning around and started to run back.

"Yuna wait!" Tidus called, causing her to turn back and face him.

"Don't try to stop me." She glared.

"I'm not. I just want to ask you a question." He stated. Yuna looked at him in confusion, especially since he was smirking. "Kimahri is your guardian, right? He's job is to protect you, right, just like the rest of us? But, do you know what his other job is?" Yuna only shook her head. "His other job is to follow where ever you go. Just like us. We're your guardians, so we have to follow you where ever you go. So that's what we're going to do… follow you anywhere you go…" Tidus smiled while readying his sword.

"Anywhere I go?" Yuna smiled. Tidus nodded, causing Yuna to smile wider. "Alright then…"

"Let's go!" The two cheered before running back towards Kimahri and Seymour.

"Save some for us Kimahri!" Tidus yelled. You could hear his and Yuna's laughter as they made their way down there.

"So what are we gonna do?" Donald asked.

"Isn't it obvious, Donald? We're gonna follow them. Come on!" Goofy smiled as he pulled a quaking Donald Duck along with him.

"Ready to go?" Sora asked Ke'Ania with his Keyblade in hand.

"Yeah. Besides…" She wore a smirk on her face, red and black danced around her pulp, and her knuckles were starting to whiten from how tightly she was holding onto her Keyblades. _**"I have a score to settle with Seymour anyway."**_

Sora shivered a little at the intensity coming from Ke'Ania before he raced after her and his other friends.

"Don't leave me behind!" Wakka yelled as he ran toward them too.

"Me either! I want a piece of this action!" Rikku added while running off.

Auron stared at the disappearing group with a smirk, taking note that Lulu was standing right next to him. "I feel younger and younger every day I stay with this group." He chuckled.

"They do take the maturity level down three notches, but you have to admit that you're having fun at least." She smiled. He nodded at her comment and continued to stare in the direction they took off in. "Shall we go to them?"

"Might as well. They're going to need us around to save them when they fall down." Auron teased.

"The good thing about them is that they get back up when they fall." Lulu said before the two of them raced off after the group.

…

…

…

Kimahri jumped up and was about to stab Seymour, but the metal contraption on his shoulder flew in front of him and knocked Kimahri back. The Ronso was able to land on his feet, but because of the injury on his right leg he had trouble running.

"Kimahri!" Everyone in the group yelled, causing him to turn around.

The group surrounded the Ronso. Yuna kneeled down and saw his wound. "You're hurt. I'll heal you."

"What Yuna and friends doing here? Kimahri told you to run away and leave Kimahri. Why you no listen?"

"We're your friends, Kimahri. We're not going to leave you to die here. We're going to stay and fight." Rikku smiled.

Kimahri only shook his head and allowed Yuna to heal him.

"_**So, you have finally come to your senses and now want to be saved. Then allow me to be your savior."**_ Seymour spoke.

"You talk too much." Tidus glared as he and everyone else held their weapons tight.

"_**We have a bone to pick with you. We've killed you before, but this time we're gonna make sure you stay dead." **_Ke'Ania glared with her Yin-Yang Keyblade.

"_**You will be the ones that will be saved today, not me."**_

"The only person in need of saving is you from us, Seymour. Kinoc may not have been the person I knew from ten years ago, but he and I were still friends. You will pay for his death!" Auron yelled in anger.

When Yuna was done healing Kimahri, both of them stood up and held their staffs in their hands.

"_**Lady Yuna… why do you not seem pleased to see me?"**_ Seymour asked.

"I'll only be pleased when you're gone to the Farplane." Yuna glared.

"Say your prays, Seymour. You're done for." Sora said as he stood next to Ke'Ania with his Keyblade pointed at him as well.

Tidus was the first to attack him. He ran full force at them. The metal claw moved shot from Seymour's shoulder and towards Tidus. The blond male jumped onto of the metal claw before jumping further into the air. His sword started to glow. When he swung his sword , energy rays flew from them and into the ground. When Tidus landed, he stuck his sword into the ground and let rest of the energy flow under Seymour before it finally exploded. Seymour and the metal claw went up into the air and came back down grunting. That's when the metal claw started to move. It dug its claws into his chest and started to absorb some of his energy before pulling away and left him feeling weak. Everyone saw this and gasped.

"Did you see that? That metal claw thing just absorbed some of Seymour's energy and weakened him." Wakka gasped.

"It seems to take energy from him every time it takes damage." Auron stated.

"Maybe, if we continue to damage it, then it'll take away most of his energy and make it easier for us to defeat." Lulu suggested.

"It's worth a shot. Everyone, focus on fighting the metal claw." Yuna ordered.

And that's what everyone did. They used every one of their weapons to attack that thing and every time they did, the metal claw thing would take some of his energy and leave him weakened. Ke'Ania was the next to attack the metal claw, but Seymour casted am ice spell that shot ice crystals at her. Sora was able to tackle her to the ground in enough time to save her caramel skin.

"Thanks." She panted.

"He can still use magic? I thought summoners can only use magic if they have their staffs?" Goofy asked out of curiosity.

"He's not a summoner, therefore he doesn't have to follow the rules. Everyone, stay on your toes. He may be weakened, but he's still very unpredictable." Auron yelled out.

"_**You cannot defeat me! I am all powerful! I will be Spira's savior! I will destroy all of Spira!"**_ Seymour shouted.

"Not on our watch." Donald yelled back.

He raised his staff into the air and unleashed some fireballs towards Seymour and the metal claw. The metal claw absorbed whatever damage it took, but once that was over Seymour raised his hands and raised two rocks with it on both sides of Donald. The white didn't know what was going on or what to do. That's when Seymour clapped his hands together and the rocks crushed.

"**DONALD!"** Everyone shouted.

They all thought that he was dead, but when the rocks broke apart, Donald was still there… he was just turned into stone.

"What the fuck is this? He came turn people into stone now?" Ke'Ania yelled out in confusion and frustration.

Yuna walked up to him and placed her hand on him. "He's still alive, but barely. I'll try and restore him. Lulu, I need your help."

"Right." Lulu nodded before running over to her.

"While those two take care of Donald, we'll handle Seymour. Goofy, I want you to protect the girls while they're working." Auron commanded.

"You got it sir." Goofy saluted before moving to stand in front of them and protect them with his shield.

Everyone went back to slicing the metal claw and Seymour up. Tidus and Sora even got both of them at the same time. While Tidus distracted the metal claw, Sora was able to attack Seymour. They figured out that the metal claw was his defense If they could distract it, then they'll be able to attack Seymour directly. The light hitters, like Rikku and Ke'Ania, would distract the claw while the heavy hitters like, Auron, Kimahri, Tidus and Sora, would attack Seymour. It was a perfect strategy with minor magic hits from Seymour. He ended up becoming even weaker than before, which was a good thing. The girls were having no trouble with fixing Donald. They were able to get more than half of his body back to normal, so all they had to work on was his lower half.

"Don't worry, Donald, we'll have you back to normal in no time." Yuna smiled.

Donald sighed in relief, but started to quack loudly when the metal claw was headed towards them. **"LOOK OUT, GOOFY!"**

The metal claw came at him. Goofy used his shield to knock it back before slicing a part of it open with his shield. The claw returned to Seymour's side and took energy from him again. He turned to the girls and Donald and gave a thumbs up.

"Don't worry guys. I'm here to save the day." The dog smiled before returning to his post.

They kept attacking and defending against Seymour and his metal claw. They knew that they had him on the ropes, all they had to do was wait for Yuna to say that Donald is better before they finally finish him off.

"Alright, we fixed him. Now can you finish him so we can get away from here." Lulu said.

Ke'Ania and Sora nodded to each other before turning to the rest of the group.

"We're going to finish them off. Just make sure that you stand back." Ke'Ania said. The whole group nodded and moved to stand by Yuna, Lulu, Donald, and Goofy. "Do you have any lightning left?"

"No. I gave it all to you." Sora said.

"Well then here. I'm going to create a fireball after I add some lightning to your Keyblade. When I create it, I want you to throw your Keyblade into it and that's how we'll finish them off. Kind of like when we were running from the Guado in Macalania." Ke'Ania said.

Sora nodded and handed over his Keyblade. Ke'Ania added lightning to his blade before giving it back to him. She focused her fire element into her hands. The ball started to grow until it was as big as her. She threw the ball into the air before jumping after it. Right when Ke'Ania took off, Sora threw his Keyblade into the fireball. When it was spinning around inside the ball, Ke'Ania brought her foot up and kicked it towards Seymour. The ball hit Seymour and caused his screams to echo throughout the air. When the ball disappeared, Sora's Keyblade returned to him and he disappeared.

Everyone watched as Seymour continued to scream while his body started to disappear and turn into Pyreflies. When nothing was left everyone turned to each other with smiles of victory.

"We don't have time to celebrate. Let's leave before more Yevonites show up." Auron commanded.

Everyone nodded. Tidus grabbed Yuna's hand. Sora grabbed Ke'Ania's hand, Wakka grabbed Lulu's hand, and Kimahri grabbed Donald and Goofy and together they made their way out of Bevelle.

…

…

…

They escaped to the Macalania Woods and found a secret campsite for them to hide in. Auron went to check to see if they're being followed. Yuna, Kimahri, Tidus, and Ke'Ania all went to a secret spring deeper in the forest. Sora stayed back to check on Donald. Everyone jumped when they heard Auron return to the campsite.

"We're clear. No one's following us. The only thing we'll have to do is avoid Bevelle in the future." He looked around and noticed some members missing. "Where did they go?"

"Yuna went to the springs. Kimahri, Ke'Ania, and Tidus went to check on her." Rikku answered.

"I'm going to go too." Sora stood up. "I need to go speak with Ke'Ania on some things."

He walked away from the camp and walked into the clearing. Kimahri was standing by the entrance with his arms folded, Yuna and Tidus were talking while swimming in the springs, and Ke'Ania was hiding in the bushes and watching the two. He quietly crept besides her and got comfortable.

"Whatchya doing?" He spoke, scaring the brunette girl.

"Don't do that. You just scared me." She panted with gray eyes.

"Sorry." He chuckled a little. "So what are you doing?"

"Watching on them. Tidus is apologizing to Yuna for not knowing about what a summoner is and now they're talking about going to Zanarkand." She explained.

"I know you're supposed to watch over her, but this is ridiculous." Sora chuckled some more.

"I wasn't just watching her. I was actually doing some thinking. I kind of feel like Yuna." She admitted with purple eyes.

"What do ya mean?"

"I mean… she's still continuing with her pilgrimage, but she's shaken. It makes her think what is her purpose for being a summoner when everything she knows is a lie."

"You think you're being lied too? Our stuff is pretty straight forward. We travel from world to world, protect the princesses, rescue them, and take down the darkness. Where do you feel like you're being lied to?" He asked her.

"It's not that. Yuna thought everything was straight forward too, but now look at her. Her faith is shaken and now she almost lost her will to go on… What if that happens to us? I mean I'm in more danger than you, Donald or Goofy because I'm a Pure Heart Princess. What if something like this happens to me and I lose my will to go on. I'm just… I'm just scared… I may act brave and strong, but I've been terrified this whole time." Ke'Ania sighed with blue and purple eyes.

"And you think we're not terrified? Well believe me, we're scared too. I mean, my biggest fear is… losing you for good." Sora confessed, causing Ke'Ania's head to shoot up and stare at him with wide eyes.

"What did you just say?" She whispered.

"I'm terrified of losing you. I know that, without a doubt, if I lost you then I couldn't go on. And Tidus feels the same way." Sora answered. Ke'Ania's eyes turned pink and hazel, but they turned pinker when Sora reached for her hands. "Listen Ke'Ania. What we're all afraid of is perfectly natural. No one can truly be brave in the situation we're in. But, there's nothing we can do about it. We can only continue with what we're assigned and promise to protect each other along the way. So, don't think you're alone. Just promise me one thing… Promise me you won't ever go away…" Sora asked.

Ke'Ania was shocked by his request. She knew that he wanted to protect her, but asking her to never leave his side was something new to her. Her eyes not only held pink and hazel, but now her cheeks were pink and she had fuchsia in her eyes as well.

"I promise." She nodded.

They continued to look at each other for the longest time. The only thing that broke their concentration was the Pyreflies surrounding them. It made the whole place light up and look magical. Both sets of eyes looked around in amazement before they locked eyes again. The scenery made them still and their hearts started to race. Before they knew it, they started leaning into each other until their lips finally met. Hers were soft and full while his was slightly chapped and thinner, but they fit perfectly together. They're hands started to move until they were laced together. The Pyreflies flew around them and lifted some of their clothing and hair. It was a magical and beautiful moment that they wanted to last forever, but it had to end soon when air was required. Their eyes slowly opened before their lips gently pulled apart. Sora reached up and brushed some of her floating hair behind her pointed ear while Ke'Ania's hand covered his. Both shared soft smiles. They were in a trace, but it started to fade away when the Pyreflies started to disappear. The last thing that finally snapped them out of their trance was Tidus and Yuna walking passed them.

They lifted their heads and saw that no one was there anymore except them. They don't know if anyone saw them, but they didn't care either. They had finally shared their first kiss and it was beyond romantic and magical… it was perfect.

"We should probably get back before they come looking for us." Sora laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah. We should also get some sleep. There's no doubt that we're gonna need all the rest we can get tomorrow." Ke'Ania smiled with pink still dusting both sets of cheeks.

Sora nodded and helped Ke'Ania up by pulling on her hand. They walked through the bushes and out of the spring area with their fingers still interlocked, blushes on their cheeks, rapidly beating hearts, and love between them.

…

…

…

**To be continued…**

The gang finally makes it to the Calm Lands and realizes that their journey has been made harder.


	31. Next Step

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Nothing special.

**Chapter 28: Next Step**

**Normal P.O.V.**

After resting up the group of eleven left from their camp and headed to a field with wide open plains, safe place from fiends of all kinds, and a great place to train Chocobos…

"This is the Calm Lands." Auron stated as they arrived.

The sky was bright blue with few white clouds floating above them. They were standing on a cliff that allowed them to view everything from a great height. Down below them the grass was green and blowing with the breeze, cracks in the ground, and one of Rin's inns at the center of it all.

Ke'Ania, Donald, Goofy, Sora, Tidus, Yuna and Rikku went to the edge of the cliff and marveled at the place below them.

"Why is it so quiet here? I thought every place in Spira, except for Luca, was field with fiends running around? I mean, this place is so big. I would've thought this place was fiend infested." Rikku asked.

"It's true that most places in Spira are fiend infested, but the Calm Lands are one of the few that are not." Lulu answered.

"Is that why they name it the Calm Lands?" Goofy questioned.

"That and because this is where all the past High Summoners would come to have the last showdown with sin." Wakka added.

"Here is where my father and the other fought Sin?" Yuna asked.

"Yes. Braska, Jetch, and I came here and when we stood against Sin. This place brings back painful memories." Auron sighed quietly.

Kimahri placed one of his large, clawed hands on Auron's shoulder to comfort him. Auron turned to the Ronso and nodded in appreciation. Sensing some of the tension in the group, Lulu moved forward to stand by the gasping group.

"Do you see all the cracks, ridges, and canons in the group. They came from the battles that took place between the summoners, their guardians, and Sin itself. The battles help mold and shape this place, making sure that all who come know why this is called the Calm Lands." Lulu spoke. "This is also where the road ends. Beyond here, there are no more towns. There's just the one Ronso village on Mt. Gagazet. After that… Zanarkand will be waiting for us."

"This is also the end of the road for some summoners." Auron added.

"What do you mean by that?" Sora asked.

"A lot of summoners tend to lose their way here. They rethink their purpose in life, how determined they truly are to continue, is this the life they want to continue living just so they can lose it in the end. This place also holds the nickname of the 'Mind Changer'." Auron informed.

Everyone nodded in understanding. Yuna absorbed the information into her head before falling back onto the grass with her arms stretched out and her eyes closed. Everyone turned and moved to surround her. The summoner took a deep breath before sighing deeply.

"I've always known where to go… But, now… I just don't know." Yuna sighed again.

Everyone moved out of the way when Tidus stood in front of her with his hand outstretched. "I promise you that I won't let you die, I'll figure something out that will keep you safe and with us. You're not going anywhere as long as I'm around." He stated with seriousness in his voice.

Yuna's eyes widen at his statement before a smirk appeared on her face and she took his hand. With his help, Yuna stood up with a smile as she stood facing her crush. With one last nod, she turned to the rest of the group and smiled. "Let's go."

"Wait." Ke'Ania said, having all eyes on her back. She was facing the right and staring hard at the space between two ridges. "What's over there?"

"It's nothing. Just a space between two ridges that were caused when Sin fought against High Summoner Gandof. Do not worry yourself about it." Lulu calmly said.

"No. There's something else there. I can feel it." Ke'Ania said, narrowing her eyes little bit more to try and see I she could spot something else other than space.

"You're a little edgy. We all are after that fight with Seymour. Take a load of ya stop worrying over little things. You'll be better for it." Wakka smiled.

"Yeah. You're probably right. It was most likely my stressed out mind imagining things. Let's go and explore the Calm Lands." Ke'Ania smiled through green eyes.

When she was sure that they had believed her and turned to start walking down the cliff's hill, she turned her head to try and see if she could see something again. After looking a little closer, she thought she could see a piece of a building or something. But, when she shook her head, it was gone. She tried again, but it didn't work and plus the group was getting away from her. She turned to start walking away, but not before she gave that space one last look.

"_I know something is there… I can feel it… The only question I have is what could it be…?"_

…

…

…

"Ugh… finally… we made it…" Rikku groaned as she collapsed onto the ground in front of the inn.

"Come on Rikku. Don't tell me that you're tired from that little walk." Ke'Ania teased her with a smile.

"Hey! That was a long ass walk!" She frowned with a half glare.

"We've walked longer." Auron shrugged.

"Yeah, but this time every time I took a step, it felt like the Inn was disappearing." Rikku argued.

"I still don't see your point." Auron shrugged again.

"Who asked you anyway?" Rikku huffed as she turned around with her arms folded.

"Someone's coming." Donald warned.

Everyone turned to see a priest coming their way. "Father Zuke?" Wakka and Lulu gasped before bowing in respect.

"It is good to see you again." He said as he bowed to them. The then turned his attention to Yuna. "I see. So this is who you two are guarding now, huh? It's very nice to meet you, Lady Yuna." He bowed to her.

"It's my pleasure as well." Yuna bowed.

"Yes, but I must say… You certainly do not look like Maester Kinoc's murder." He stated.

Everyone in the group gasped at what he said.

"Whoa, wait a minute. Back that up. What the hell are you talking?" Ke'Ania said as she stepped in front of everyone.

"Haven't you heard? Maester Mika issued an order. They are claiming that you and you're guardians murdered Maester Kinoc and fled after escaping the Via Purifico. The order said that we are to kill anyone of you on sight if we see you." Father Zuke spoke, causing everyone to grasp.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." Tidus sighed with his hand over his face.

"_**Those bastards… How dare they lie on us and now they're getting their followers to try and kill us? They're going to pay… even if it's the last thing I do in this world!" **_Ke'Ania growled with her fists clenched tight to the white.

Her eyes were bloody red with light traces of silver in them. Sora saw how mad she was getting and started to worry. He moved to hug her from behind. Realizing who was hugging her, Ke'Ania's rage slowly started to disappear and her irises returned to their green hue. When he could feel that she was finally calm, Sora released her with a smile.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." She smiled back.

"What of Bevelle?" Auron asked.

"The surface is calm, but the inside is in turbulence. After Maester Kinoc's death, Maester Kelk Ronso left Yevon and returned to his home on Mt. Gagazet. Things have gotten complicated." Father Zuke explained.

"Good. It'll be easier to move around with Yevon in chaos." Auron nodded.

"Be warned that you are all not traitors of Yevon and are in great danger. If I were you, I'd stay away from the temples for the time being."

Yuna nodded and bowed to Father Zuke's words. "Thank you. I will heed your warning."

"Father… Did you come all this way to warn us about this?" Lulu asked.

"Not entirely. I was curious as to who you two were guarding now." Zuke answered.

"How did you find us?" Wakka questioned.

"When I had heard that you guys were branded traitors, I knew that you wouldn't go to any temples right away. I also found out that you were enemies of the Guado now, so there was no way that you'd head back through the Thunder Plains. I did the math." He chuckled, causing Wakka and Lulu to nod. "Be safe on your pilgrimage."

And with that, Father Zuke left. Yuna finally rose from her bowing position with a sigh.

"What's wrong Yuna?" Tidus asked.

"We are branded traitors. Things are not going well." She sighed again.

"Let them talk Yuna. You know that we're innocent. That's all that matters. There's nothing to worry about." Tidus smiled.

"I'm not worried." Tidus gave her a look and she sighed at being caught in a lie. "Ok, maybe I'm worried a little."

"Everything will be alright. I promise. And if things get too much for you to handle, then just yell out your frustration. That's what I do." He smiled.

"Yell huh? I think I will do that." Yuna smiled back.

"So Lulu…" Rikku started, changing the subject. "Who exactly was that Father Zuke guy?"

"He was a summoner until a year and a half ago. Wakka and I guarded him. When we came here, Father Zuke changed his mind about being a guardian and decided on becoming a priest. Neither Wakka nor I have ever been passed these lands." Lulu informed.

Everyone stared at the Lulu and Wakka for a moment until Goofy spoke.

"Hey! Didn't that Father Zuke guy say to stay away from the temples for a little while?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Donald asked.

"Well, if we're branded as traitors and can't really go anywhere for a while, why don't we just hang out here for a little bit? We're all a little edgy and tired anyway from running from those Yevonites. A nice stroll through these lands and learning about its history should do us some good. Come on. How about it?" The black dog smiled.

Everyone thought about what he said before nodding in agreement.

"That's a wonderful idea, Goofy. But, what of Sir Auron? Yuna said while turning to face him. "You said that this place brings back painful memories, right? I don't want to stay here if it'll cause you discomfort."

"There's not need to worry about me, Yuna. What Goofy said makes perfect sense. We should use this little time we have to ourselves to relax and breathe. It will do us no good to keep moving if we're edgy and rash. I will put my feelings aside and enjoy myself. I suggest you do the same." Auron stated.

"You're right. So, how about we take a walk around these plans and see what there is to see and learn what there is to learn. Once we've done that for a few hours, we'll come back here, rest up, and head to Mt. Gagazet when we're done." Yuna stated.

"There are a bunch of Chocobos running around. Let's see if we can borrow a few." Wakka suggested.

"Fine by me. Let's go. I'm actually excited to hear about this place." Tidus smiled as the group left the front of the inn.

…

…

…

The gang spent the next two hours walking around the plain and just enjoying the scenery. Things were pointed out and explained by either Auron or Lulu. They learned that each crack, ridge, and canon made on this plain came from one of the battles between a High Summoner and Sin. The place was huge and unlike anything they've scene. Even though Lulu and Wakka had already been to these plains, they couldn't deny the enjoyable time they were having there. It was nice to be able to take in the scenery for once without having to be reminded of their problems. It was a beautiful day that really lightened up their spirits, but soon they were starting to get tired.

"I'm tired of walking now. Can we please get a Chocobo now? My feet are hurting and I think there's a pebble in my shoe." Donald whined.

"Um Donald… you don't wear shoes…" Goofy pointed out.

"Oh yeah." Donald nervously laughed. "Well my feet still hurt."

"Oh stop your whining. Besides walking is good for you. Helps keep you in shape." Ke'Ania smiled.

"Between us walking this field, running from the Guado and Yevonites, and fighting fiends and Heartlesses I think we're fit enough." Rikku laughed with her hands behind her head.

"But Donald does have a point. Let's see is we can find a Chocobo trainer somewhere." Yuna suggested.

"There's one!" Tidus said.

The gang made their way over to the trainer in record time.

"May I help you?" The trainer spoke.

"Yes. We would like to borrow five Chocobos please." Yuna said.

"No problem. I will retrieve them for you. Please, wait here." The trainer said before leaving them.

Once she was gone, Tidus started moving down a little hill like path.

"Where are you going?" Lulu asked.

"I think there's something down there. I'm going to check it out." Tidus stated.

"Hold on. We'll go with you." Yuna said before her and the rest of the group followed him down the path.

They reached the bottom of the path and didn't see anything.

"Nothing's here. Are you sure you thought you saw something?" Wakka asked.

"I didn't see it. It was more of a feeling. I thought I felt something down here." Tidus said.

He walked up to the wall on his right and touched the dirt.

"Tidus look. Something's happening to your sword." Ke'Ania pointed out.

The warrior picked up his sword and gasped when he saw two sun shapes appear on his blade. After they appeared, everyone looked at the wall besides Tidus and saw something glowing under the dirt.

"What the hell?" Tidus asked.

He leaned in and whipped the dirt away and marveled at the sun jewel underneath it. As carefully as he could, Tidus reached forward and plucked the jewel from the wall. The jewel was glowing bright yellow with the flames on the outside of the circle part glowing orange. It looked beautiful, but mysterious at the same time.

"Was is it?" Goofy questioned.

"I don't know." Auron and Lulu said at the same time.

"What? You two don't know something? That's a first." Sora teased.

"There are a lot of things we do not know and this is definitely one of them. This jewel I have never seen nor heard of before." Lulu stated.

"Well, there are bound to be people around that might know. You should hold on to it." Rikku said.

"But wait. Look." Goofy said as he pointed to Tidus's sword. "One of the shapes matches the jewel. I wonder if it belongs there or something."

"Try it out. What do you have to lose?" Yuna suggested.

"Alright. Here I go." With a shaky hand, Tidus gently placed the jewel into his sword and moved the weapon away from him just in case something happened.

The only thing that did happen was the other shape hole disappearing.

"Looks like I was right." Goofy cheered.

"Yeah you were, but what does this mean? Why was there a jewel here that belonged in the blade of my sword? What does all of this mean?" Tidus questioned before putting his sword away.

"Don't worry. We're bound to find someone that will know what to know what's going on with that jewel and your sword. But, for now, let's head back up. I heard the trainer coming back with our Chocobos." Auron suggested.

Everyone turned and followed him back up the path, but those same questions remained on everyone's mind.

"Here are your Chocobos you asked for. When you are ready to return them, just come find me. I will escort you to the Calm Land's exit and take them back with me. Hope you enjoy your ride." The trainer smiled.

Everyone gave their thank yous before hopping on. Tidus drove with Yuna in front of him. Goofy and Donald rode while Kimahri steered. Sora wanted to steer this time because he was still afraid from the last time Ke'Ania steered. Wakka steered while Lulu rode. And finally, Auron was the one steering while Riku sat back and enjoyed the ride. After the trainer made sure everyone was on safely, she was about to turn and leave until Ke'Ania stopped her.

"Wait. Do you know what's up there?" She pointed to the cliff they were standing on when they first arrived. "There's a space between two ridges and I wanted to know if you know if anything is up there?"

"Again with this? I thought~" Wakka started, but was cut off by the trainer.

"Actually yes. There is a temple up there." The trainer spoke.

"**WHAT?"** Everyone gasped.

"Yes. A long time ago, before Sin and the High Summoners chose this place to have their final battle, there was a temple –The Remiem Temple to be exact- that was built here. It was used to train Chocobos and housed three powerful aeons. But, due to the battles that took place here that shaped this place, the temple became hidden from the public and soon people started to forget about it. I do not go there to train my Chocobos, so I cannot tell you exactly how far you will have to travel to get to the temple. In fact, I believe no one goes there. I have heard rumors that people used to visit, but stopped when an unsent was spotted having taken residence up there. If you should go I suggest that you should tread lightly. I have heard that the unsent living there was once a fierce summoner in their day. Good luck to you and I will be waiting for your return." And with that the trainer left, leaving everyone in the group shivering from her cold tale.

"I told you guys I felt something up there." Ke'Ania said.

"Let's go check it out." Tidus bluntly stated.

"Didn't you just hear what she just said? I don't know about you, but I do not feel like dying because of an angry unsent summoner." Wakka said with his arms crossed.

"Oh come on Wakka. Where's you sense of adventure?" Rikku asked.

"Back in the Via Purifico." Wakka answered still in the same position.

"Well I think we should go. I would like to see this unsent everyone is so afraid of." Sora smirked.

"What do you want to do Yuna?" Auron asked.

"I would also like to visit there. The trainer said that there were three powerful aeons up there. I think that if I can obtain them, then I will have a better chance at defeating Sin. It's worth a try." Yuna said.

"If you say so. But the minute that unsent starts to get angry, I'm out of there." Wakka said as he commanded his Chocobo to follow the rest of the group.

"You're such a coward." Lulu teased.

"Yeah well. Every heard of that old saying? Cowards live longer." Wakka chuckled while holding onto Lulu's waist tightly.

…

…

…

When they reached the top of the cliff, they commanded their Chocobos to jump onto the cliff below them. Once they landed safely, they went through the little space. They didn't have to travel far. The temple was standing tall and sturdy in front of them. They rode their birds to the front of the temple and tied them up when they got off. Everyone took a deep breath as they stepped to the large doors. There were three circles at the top. When they got close enough, the three circles lit up with three different symbols before opening up.

The squeaking from the doors echoed throughout the emptied temple and added to the creepy effect everyone was getting. They cautiously stepped inside and readied themselves for whatever the unsent might throw at them.

"Hello?" Yuna called, but received no answer.

Everyone jumped out of their skin when the squeaking of the doors started again. After the doors were closed, everyone tightened their guard.

"Hello?" Yuna called again.

"_**It's been a long time, Yuna."**_ They heard a female's voice and jumped at it. In the middle of the room, Belgemine suddenly appeared.

Everyone lowered their guard as Yuna stepped forward. "You're the unsent that lives here?"

"Yes. This has been my home since my battle with Sin." She nodded.

"So it's true that you are an unsent." Ke'Ania said softly.

"Yes, young one. I fought Sin during my summoner days, but was unfortunately defeated by it. Now I guard this place from intruders who try to steal from this forgotten temple. I've been stuck her for many years. Tired of seeing just these walls, I ventured out to see how much Spira has changed. I was lucky I chose this time to do so. It was an honor meeting you, daughter of Braska." She bowed in respect.

"Likewise." Yuna returned her bow of respect.

"But, why do you remain here? You cannot get your revenge against Sin. So why remain here?" Lulu asked.

"I do not desire revenge against Sin. I knew, from the moment I chose to be a summoner that I was going to die. To get revenge when I knew that it was going to occur would be foolish. No. I chose to stay back so that I may help summoners of all kinds accomplish what I cannot. But, in all the years that I have been performing this task… I have never met a summoner as powerful or willful as you, Lady Yuna. And, I believe, with my help… you'll be able to defeat Sin and surpass your father easily." Belgemine stated.

"That is very kind of you, but I do not think people will be relying on a traitor like me to defeat Sin anymore." Yuna sighed sadly.

"I have heard the rumors of you and have ignored them. The Maesters of Yevon are foolish and are set in disarray at the slightest things. I knew you better than that and I know that you can defeat Sin and prove those nonbelievers wrong. And my training will help you do that."

"When do I start?" Yuna said with confidence.

"Not now. You must obtain the other aeons first before we can begin." She stated.

"What other aeons?" Yuna asked.

"You have collected the regular aeons every summoner must get in order to get the Final Aeon, this is so. But, what a lot of people do not know is that there are technically five other powerful aeons you must collect as well. They will make you stronger. In fact, I am in charge of guarding three of them. The other two you will have to seek out on your own." She informed them.

"Where do I find the other aeons?" Yuna questioned.

"One of them is in the Baaj Temple. The other one you will have to find on your own. Rumor has it, someone stole the Fayth and moved it to a cave of some sorts. Where that cave is… I do not know. But, I'm sure you will be able to find it with little trouble. Once you have obtained them, return here and I will start your training. You must defeat me in one last aeon battle. If you can do that, then I will give you what you need to obtain the last three. Knowing this, I suggest you strengthen your bond with all your aeons before returning here. I will not go easy on you." And with that, Belgemine was about to disappear until Tidus stopped her.

"Wait! You said that you've been around for a while correct? So you wouldn't happen to know about this would you." Tidus pulled out his sword to show the jewel.

Belgemine walked over and observed the jewel with wide eyes. "This is a Sun Sigil. Where did you get it?"

"We found it in the Calm Lands." Rikku answered.

"Astounding." Belgemine observed the jewel and his sword more intently. "Tell me, do you know anything about it?"

"No. We were hoping you might." Lulu explained.

"This is known as a Sun Sigil. It is a rare jewel that was only designed to a certain sword. It is meant to increase the sword's and the user's strength and abilities. There are seven total, but they are useless without the crests that were also made to go with each sigil. If you want to enhance the abilities and strength of both your weapons and yourselves, then you must find all fourteen jewels. Each weapon has a slot for the crests and the sigils to go in. Once you have collected every one of them, go to the entrance of the Macalania Woods. There, a magical road will appear. Travel along it. Once you get to the top, there will be a giant rock jewel. Hold your weapons up to it and allow it to transform them into something great. But, you cannot do it without the help of this." Belgemine reached into her sleeve and pulled out a Celestial Mirror and held it up. "You will also need this to break the barrier that will take you to the Chamber of the Fayth in this temple. But, you will not get from me so easily. If Yuna can defeat me and all of my aeons, then I will give you this and some other things needed for you to progress. So Yuna, now that you have the information needed to complete your training, I hope you will take this seriously and bring me a great challenge when you return. I will be waiting to test you with anxiety and faith. Do not let me down." She stated with seriousness in her voice.

"I won't." Yuna smiled with determination.

Belgemine returned Yuna's smile with one of her own and a nod. "Good luck to the lot of you. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you to be careful when traveling around Spira. I hope that it'll be easier to do so when Yevon is in chaos, but you never know when it comes to them. I'll be waiting here for your arrival…"

After she spoke her last words, Belgemine disappeared and left them alone. The group turned to walk out the front of the temple quietly. They untied their Chocobos before hopping on them.

"Now where too?" Ke'Ania asked.

"To the inn. We must rest. Then we'll find the trainer, have her escort us to the exit of the Clam Lands and return the Chocobos then." Yuna commanded.

Everyone nodded before following their summoner to the inn.

…

…

…

They arrived and did as they were told. They tied up their Chocobos and rested up. When everyone was awake, they found the trainer. She led them to the exit and took the Chocobos back with her while they walked out of the Calm Lands.

Their next destination was Mt. Gagazet.

"Hey Kimahri. Lulu said that the Ronso village was on Mt. Gagazet, right? Are we going to meet your family there?" Tidus asked.

"Mt. Gagazet is Kimahri home, but Kimahri has no family. Kimahri have not been there for more than seven years." The Ronso stated in his usual voice.

"Oh." Tidus said while nervously rubbing the back of his head.

He was afraid that he brought up a sore subject for the Ronso. To save him from the awkwardness, Rikku changed the subject.

"Hey look! Mt. Gagazet isn't too far away. All we have to do is get over his bridge and will be home~"

"_**Halt!"**_

"~free?" Rikku finished.

Standing in front of them were two Guado guards, sent from Seymour no doubt.

"Stay where you are." One Guado ordered.

"_**What are you do doing here?" **_Tidus growled.

"We have a summons from Maester Seymour. Come with us." The other Guado spoke.

"We have nothing to discuss with him. Tell that we wish to be left alone in piece." Yuna stated with a glare.

"With that having been said…" Auron moved to stand in front of the group with his sword slung over his shoulder. _**"I suggest you leave now."**_

"Lord Seymour's orders must be obeyed. You must come." The Guado said sternly before snapping his fingers. The ground started to shake. Soon a Defender X fiend appeared from a path to their right and moved to stand behind them. "I advise that you come with us. But, before you make your decision… be advised… the Maester doesn't need you alive."

"It's that a threat?" Wakka asked with his ball ready.

"More like a warning." One of the Guado answered.

"We'll take our chances with the fiend." Yuna said with her staff in her hand.

"Very well then. It's your funeral." The Guado said before standing behind it. "Attack them.

The gang was ready for the attack. The fiend came rushing at them and swung its fists. Auron and Kimahri used their weapons to hold each arm off, but it was too strong for them to handle alone. Sora and Tidus ran to help them fend it off. Lulu, Donald, and Yuna used water on it. Ke'Ania came up the middle and sliced at it. When she landed, the fiend broke free from the guard the guys were putting up against it before swing its arms and sending all of them flying back.

"You guys ok?" Yuna asked.

"We're fine. We just didn't think the hit would hurt so much. I think I broke something." Tidus said as he tried to move his left arm. "Nope. It just hurts."

"When we win, I'll heal everyone. " Yuna said.

Goofy was next. He ran up to the Defender X. The fiend swung one of his arms, but Goofy used his shield to block its attack. This made the fiend angry, so he started to pound on Goofy's shield. To rescue him, Wakka threw his ball and knocked the fiend down. This gave the magic users an opportunity to drown it in water. It didn't work as well as they thought. The fiend tried to get up, but Auron and Kimahri sliced it up with their swords. The Defender X hit them hard and made them fly back before finally getting up. Ke'Ania Sora gave it a try.

"Goofy! Kimahri! Kneel on the ground!" Ke'Ania ordered.

The two did as they were told. When they were ready, Ke'Ania and Sora jumped on their backs and projected themselves at the fiend. Both teens stabbed the fiend and allowed lightning to shot from their Keyblades and into it. The fiend's body shook for a little bit before it grabbed both teens and threw them at the group. Kimahri jumped up and caught them both.

"Thanks." They both said as they were set on the ground.

Yuna and Lulu worked together. Lulu sent water at it while Yuna sent lightning. The fiend had his hands full with the two girls, so he didn't noticed when Auron and Tidus running up to it and slicing it up. Soon the fiend stopped moving, causing everyone to stop as well. They saw its body shake before finally falling apart and turning into Pyreflies.

"Alright Guado, time for you~" Tidus turned to where the Guado were standing to find them gone. "Where's they go?"

"They must've escaped while we were fight." Donald deduced.

"While they're gone, I'll heal everyone." Yuna said as she went straight to work. It didn't take long before everyone was finally healed up. "Come on. Let's leave before they return."

"Wait a minute Yuna." Lulu said as she walked to the path where Defender x came from. "I wanna go down here first."

"Why Lulu? What's down there?" Wakka asked.

"The missing Fayth Belgemine was talking about." She calmly answered.

"And you knew this?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Yes. I was going to wait until we got here to say anything. We were heading this way anyway." Lulu explained. They stopped in front of the cave. Everyone shivered at the cold feeling they were getting. "When we get in there, be careful. The fiends in here are tough."

Lulu was about to walk into the cave, but stopped when Wakka grabbed her hand. "Is this where it happened?" He asked softly. Lulu only nodded slowly at his question. "Thought so." He sighed as he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"What's he talking about Lulu?" Yuna asked.

With a heavy sigh, Lulu turned to face everyone with pink eyes.

"This isn't just where the secret Fayth is hiding… It's also where the first summoner ever guarded died."

Everyone gasped in unison. "Is her spirit still here, so you think?" Tidus asked.

"I would believe so. We had better watch out when we get in there." Lulu said slowly. Everyone nodded. Yuna went to put her hand on Lulu's shoulder. The mage just smiled and gently removed her hand. "Let's go Yuna… The Fayth awaits."

Everyone turned to walk into the cave. Lulu and Wakka were the last ones to go in. Lulu took a deep breath to try and calm herself.

"You going to be alright?" Wakka asked.

"Yes. Besides… It's time I faced my past anyway." The black mage spoke before her and Wakka entered the cave together.

…

…

…

Inside, they faced a lot of tough fiends and had barely anytime to heal. But, despite how tough the fiends were, they finally made it to the part of the cave they had been looking for… the 'Chamber' of the Fayth.

"Man. That was tough." Rikku panted.

'I know. I'm just glad we finally made it here alive." Ke'Ania panted.

"It's not over yet. Be on your toes." Lulu warned and she was right. As soon as she said that, the spirit of her former summoner appeared. "Lady Ginnem?" Lulu gasped. "It's really you. I'm sorry… Lady Ginnem. I have failed you. I was too young, too foolish to be a true guardian to you." Lulu felt the tears she's been holding back for so long start to almost leak out. Yuna moved to try and send her, but Lady Ginnem only blew a strong gust of wind. Everyone was scared, but Lulu stood her ground. She understood her former summoner's grief and misery. "I can see that… there's no more human let in you… correct…?" The spirit only blew another strong gust of wind at them in a response to Lulu's question. "I see… Then allow me to be the one to send you to the Farplane… It'll be my last duty as your guardian."

From the tone in her voice, everyone knew that it was time to fight. They readied themselves, but they weren't prepared to fight an aeon. The spirit of Lady Ginnem started the summoning. The surrounding turned black momentarily before a night scene with a full moon and a Sakura Tree in it. A red, barking dog came to stand in front of the tree. A few moments later a tall samurai looking aeon came from behind the tree. When turned to face them, the surroundings returned to normal. Everyone waited for the aeon to make the first move.

He removed his sword from its sheath. He ran towards the group silently. Auron blocked the sword with his own. Lulu, Yuna, and Donald unleashed nothing but fire elements at both him and the dog. The dog whimpered, but shook it off. It rushed at Ke'Ania and Rikku. Rikku jumped on it while Ke'Ania sliced at it with her Keyblade. The aeon was weakened by the fire attacks soon enough. Auron broke the hold they had and was able to knock him back a little. Sora and Kimahri rushed at him and sliced him with their weapons. Tidus used his Energy Rain to weaken it further.

"Alright Lulu! He's all yours!" Tidus yelled.

"Wakka. I need your help. I can't finish him. I already feel guilty for Lady Ginnem's death. I can't defeat her. I need you to do it. I'm going to add my fire element to your ball and I want you to kill him."

Wakka took in Lulu's sorrow and the look in her eyes before nodding in understanding. Lulu did as she said and added the fire to his ball. When she was done, Lulu turned her back. She didn't want to see Lady Ginnem's face. She didn't want to see her defeated… She also didn't want anyone to see her cry her eyes out.

Wakka chucked the ball at the aeon and caught it when it came back. The aeon fell to his knees and started to disappear into Pyreflies along with his dog. Only Lady Ginnem was left. Yuna stepped forward and sent her. Everything in the cave was quiet as Yuna sent the former summoner to the Farplane.

Everything was in complete silence until Yuna spoke. "I'm going to the Fayth."

"I'll come with you. You don't need to be alone in a cave like this." Tidus said.

Everyone, except Lulu, watched as the two went further into the cave. Wakka walked over to Lulu and pulled the crying Black Mage into his broad chest. "It'll be alright. You had to do it. There's no need for tears. You've grown stronger since then and now you're a great guardian. I'm sure that if she was still alive and could see you now… Lady Ginnem would be proud of you." Wakka said to comfort her.

Lulu gave one last sniff and started to smile a little. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means." Wakka nodded and was about to pull away, but stopped when he felt Lulu lay her hands and head on his chest."Can you hold me little longer… Just a little bit longer…?"

Wakka sighed before wrapping his arms around her again and putting his chin on the top of her head. "Sure. Anything you want."

The two stood there, in their own little world. The only sounds they could hear were the rapid beating of each other's hearts.

…

…

…

The moment they entered the cave, they were shivering from the atmosphere. It was too silent and they could feel the anger from the Fayth hanging in the air. Yuna moved to sit on her knees before praying to the Fayth. When she was done and stood up, the ground started to shake and the Fayth begun to sing. Right when the ground started to settle, the Fayth appeared with the spirit of a dog standing beside him.

"_**I am the blade of vengeance. People only dare to whisper my name… Yojimbo. Dear summoner what is it that you desire from me?"**_ The Fayth asked.

"I desire to use your power to help me defeat my most powerful enemies." Yuna calmly answered.

"_**If you desire my power… then you answer my question… If I give you what you seek, do you intend to continue with this life until the end? Will you quit or is your will as unbendable as steel?"**_

Yuna thought about what the Fayth was asking before answering with determination and certainty in her voice. "I will continue until my last breath. I will defeat my enemies and stand tall against Sin when the time comes. I will not break nor bend. I will continue on so that the people I fight for will be able to live a peaceful life without false hope, pain or fear." She spoke.

Both Tidus and the Fayth took in her answer, but both had a different opinion about it. Both were impressed by how strong her will is, but Tidus was the one set on changing her mind. He didn't want her to die. He wanted her to live… live with him for eternity. She was the love of his life. He couldn't let her go. He won't let her go, even if they head to the Farplane together. He was a man of his word and his word was law in his world.

"_**Your answer is acceptable. I will give you my power to help you in your fight. I wish you nothing but luck on your journey young summoner. I will be here anytime you call on me."**_

And with that, the two disappeared, leaving Tidus and Yuna alone. They looked at each other before walking out.

…

…

…

When they got back everyone was ready to go. They traveled through the cave until they got out. Everyone was silent with a lot of thoughts on their mind. The silence was calming to everyone, so on one minded. Finally they made it to the entrance of Mt. Gagazet. They kept moving with determination on their minds… Everyone did this except Kimahri.

"What's wrong?" Goofy asked.

Him and Donald stood watching the fierce Ronso stare at the mountain with worry in his eyes.

"Kimahri not know if Kimahri is not welcomed back to Mt. Gagazet, but Kimahri must return. Too many loose ends Kimahri left undone." He spoke.

The two watched with worry in their eyes as their friend climbed the mountain with a heavy heart.

…

**To Be Continued…**

**Next Time on 'Secret Kingdom Hearts'…**

The gang reach Mt. Gagazet, but what will happen to Kimahri when he finally returns home?


	32. Strong Will and Resolve Conquers All

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Nothing special.

**Chapter 29: Strong Will and Resolve Conquers All**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

"It's freezing up here." I said as my teeth chattered.

"It only makes sense. Mt. Gagazet stretches towards the sky. It is also the only mountain in all of Spira as well as the only mountain in Spira that is covered with snow. I can use my fire powers to heat us up and save us from the blistering cold, but it won't protect us from the powerful winds on this mountain." Lulu said before allowing her fire element to surround them.

"Fine by me. I'd rather take on strong winds than blistering cold any day." I sighed at the feeling of being warm instead of cold.

"This is the last test that a summoner and their guardians must face before going to Zanarkand. If you are not a summoner or a guardian then you will not be allowed to travel through this torturous mountain. This is a journey meant for summoners and guardians only. Not even the Ronso can go through here." Auron explained.

"So… Zanarkand is on the other side?" Tidus asked.

"Yes. It's there. But the unsent form of Lady Yunalesca will be waiting to give Yuna the Final Aeon." Auron added, causing everyone to gasp.

"You mean to tell us that we'll see the actual unsent form of Lady Yunalesca when we get to Zanarkand?" Wakka asked.

"She is who will give Yuna the Final Aeon. It's been her job since she first defeated Sin. Every summoner who makes it past this mountain will be welcomed by her." Auron nodded.

I looked over to Yuna and saw the shock and nervousness on her face. I walked up to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. "Yuna… are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Yeah Yunie. We could always turn back and live a normal life. No one would blame you for it." Rikku smiled.

Yuna only slowly shook her head as she gently removed my hand from her shoulder. "I'm not going to back down. I said I will continue and that's what I'm going to do. We're going to get through this mountain and go see Lady Yunalesca so that I can get the Final Aeon. I will defeat Sin. I have to. All of Spira is counting on me. Will you ten continue with me until the end?" She asked.

Everyone looked at each other before looking back at her. Tidus moved to stand next to her with a smile. "You'll always be right behind you."

Yuna nodded in appreciation. "Let's go then."

…

…

…

We arrived at the base of the mountain and stopped with a start. Yenke and Biran jumped in front of us, preventing us from going any further. Behind them Maester Kelk Ronso appeared. We looked around and saw that we were surrounded by Ronso of all shapes and sizes.

"_**Summoner Yuna and guardians, you are not permitted to step foot on these secret grounds. You are to leave at once."**_ Kelk Ronso spoke.

Yuna stepped forward to speak. "I may have cast aside Yevon and I may not follow the temples no more, but I am no traitor. I have seen the true face of Yevon and it is one full of lies and deception."

"_**If what you say is true, then you will die by your words."**_ Kelk glared.

"Then so be it." Yuna glared back. "Yevon's teachings are corrupted, filled its followers with false hope, and had betrayed us all. It's something I no longer wish to be a part of."

"_**Yevon is full of nothing, but low down tricksters." **_Wakka growled low.

"We have no regrets for what we have done. We will continue onward to Zanarkand and put an end to all the corruption you Maesters have placed upon us. We will expose you." Yuna said, her glare never faltering.

"_**Blasphemers!"**_ Yenke yelled as he and Biran moved towards us.

We took up our guard, but Kimahri rushed a head and met the two Ronso halfway. When they sized each other up, Kimahri came up a little short compared to the both of them.

"_**You seek to expose Yevon? You and your guardians…? An almost impossible task…" **_The elder Ronso tsked.

"But Maester Kelk Ronso, if I may, haven't you turned your back on Bevelle too? But you still guard this mountain because you are a Ronso, not a Maester. Well, if you look at it closely, Yuna is the same way. She continues her pilgrimage because she is a summoner wanting to defeat Sin not a follower of Yevon." Lulu said.

"_**Biran tired of hearing Yuna and guardians defile secret grounds of Mt. Gagazet. Maester Kelk, allow Biran to rend them asunder."**_

Yenke moved to stand next to Biran. _**"No escape. Not one."**_

"We will not flee. If we must, we will stay and fight." Yuna glared hard with her staff gripped tightly in her hands.

"_**Summoner Yuna… you've been branded a traitor, hated by the people, and have lost everything except the love and respect from your guardians. What is it that you fight for? Who do you fight for?"**_

Yuna thought about it for a second before answering. She lowered her weapon and straightened out her back. "I fight for my friends, the people of Spira, and Spira herself. I will stand against Sin and bring the Calm to them. When I became a summoner it was to do one thing, and that is to bring the Calm. It will be my last act as a summoner. I will bring the people of Spira the Calm… even at the cost of my life."

The elder Ronso took in Yuna's words as he nodded and turned away. _**"Biran, Yenke… let them pass. They are permitted to pass."**_

"Thank you, Maester Kelk Ronso." Yuna bowed.

"_**You should be thanking yourself, Summoner Yuna. You're will is stronger than steel. You face so much and yet you are willing to go through with your pilgrimage with ambition and determination in your heart. Now go. Secret Mt. Gagazet welcome you and your guardians with opened arms."**_

All of the Ronso moved to bow in respect for Yuna and us. We began to move again until Yenke and Biran stopped us.

"Hey, didn't you hear your Elder? Let us pass." Tidus glared.

"_**Summoner Yuna and guardians may pass, but Kimahri cannot pass. Kimahri bring shame to mountain." **_Biran spoke.

"_**Kimahri weak Ronso. Mountain no like weakness. If Kimahri expects to climb…"**_

"_**Then I must prove my strength." **_Kimahri finished Yenke's statement as he pulled out his staff.

"_**What? Kimahri think that he can beat Ronso brothers? Yenke and Biran will rend you asunder." **_Biran laughed.

"_**How Kimahri expect to win when he hornless? Kimahri pitiful."**_ Yenke chuckled.

"_**Kimahri not need horn to win. Kimahri grow stronger without horn. Kimahri will get Yenke and Biran for breaking Kimahri's horn!"**_ The Ronso growled before charging at them.

"No that's not fair. Two big Ronso against Kimahri is just plain rude." Rikku pouted.

"This is the only way Kimahri can prove his worth. This is something he has to do alone." Auron said calmly.

We watched as Yenke grabbed Kimahri's staff while Biran punched him in the face. Kimahri used his feet to kick Yenke off of him before slicing Biran on his side. Yenke charged at him, but Kimahri used his strength to stop him. Both Kimahri were evenly matched. They used their brute strength to try and push each other back. Kimahri added more strength to his arms and was able to push Yenke back somewhat. While Kimahri had an advantage, Biran came behind him and lifted Kimahri into the air. We all gasped and cheered Kimahri on. The smaller Ronso threw a punch and hit Biran in the head. When Biran let go of him, Kimahri grabbed the straps on his back and threw him into Yenke. They fell in the snow after colliding into each other. Kimahri picked up his spear and began running towards them. He jumped into the air and was about to land on them, but they rolled out of the way. Biran was the first to get up and didn't have time to block Kimahri's foot from sending him flying back and hitting a rock. Kimahri then pulled his spear out of the ground and sliced Yenke's torso. Both Ronso groaned in pain at their wounds. Kimahri brought his spear up and was about to stab Yenke, but stopped when the blond Ronso raised his hands.

"_**We give. Kimahri wins." **_Yenke sighed in defeat while trying to stand up.

"_**Yes. We did not know that Kimahri got so strong. We proud of him."**_ Biran smiled as he held his bleeding side.

After hearing those words, Kimahri put a way his spear and sighed in relief. We all cheered and ran to his side to congratulate him. We had to stop when Biran started to speak.

"_**Secret Mount Gagazet! Biran would like to honor name of strong Ronso. Remember the name of Kimahri! Always remember Kimahri's name!" **_ Brian announced before turning to face us. _**"Mountain knows that Kimahri is strong. Kimahri may pass now."**_

"_**Summoner Yuna. Biran and I will hold off any Yevonites or Guado that seek you out. It's least we can do for a strong summoner, guardians, and our fellow brother. This is also our way of repenting for breaking Kimahri's horn."**_ Yenke stated.

Kimahri nodded. Biran walked up to Kimahri and placed both hands on his shoulders. _**"We crush coming enemies. You crush enemies ahead."**_

"_**Go Summoner Yuna and when you come back to mountain, we will have a big statue of you with a large horn on head to show that you are mighty among all Ronso."**_

"Thank you Yenke… I would really like for that to happen." Yuna smiled.

We started to move forward but stopped when Biran calls them.

"_**Summoner Yuna and guardians…"**_

"Yes?" Yuna answers.

Suddenly, we heard all of the Ronso singing the Hymn of the Fayth. It sounded really nice. We listened for a little while before leaving. Soon, the singing came to a stop because we were too far away to hear it.

…

…

…

We didn't make it far. When we passed a large bolder with a spear sticking out of it, I went over and kneeled by it. "What are these?" I asked.

"These are the graves of summoners and guardians who failed while walking along this mountain. We will be seeing more of these the more we travel this mountain. We had better move quickly." Auron suggested.

"Why?" Sora asked.

"Summoners and guardians who die up here were not sent. They remained here and turned into fiends. They are dangerous and will drag anyone down. They're probably looking for Yuna's company." Auron informed.

"With us guarding her, she should have no worries." Wakka smirked.

"It's good to see that you're still in high spirits." Auron chuckled.

We waited for Yuna to finish praying at the grave before continuing on.

…

…

…

"Oh my feet are killing me… I never want to climb up another mountain ever again." I cried as I fell into the snow.

"I know, and I thought the Calm Lands were bad." Rikku sighed as she fell next to me.

"Yeah. I don't think I could take another step." Donald groaned after collapsing besides Rikku.

"Don't tell me you guys are tired already. Come on, we still have more mountain to climb." Tidus laughed.

"Yeah Ke'Ania. And besides… weren't you the one that said walking is good for you?" Sora teased.

"Yeah well… You were out of shape. Since I'm in shape I have the right to complain. Now if you excuse me, I would like to wallow in the snow for a little while I regain the feeling back into my legs." Ke'Ania said from her laying position on the ground.

"Isn't the snow cold though?" Wakka asked.

"Thanks to Lulu's heat spell, we can't even feel it." Rikku answered.

"This isn't the time to be resting. We still have much ground to cover night fall. It's already midday. I don't want to waste more time."

"Sir Auron is right. We have to keep moving." Lulu added.

"Alright." All three of us groaned as we stood up.

"I'm sure there's a place for us to make came before we get to Zanarkand. You guys can rest then." Yuna giggled.

"Fine, but this place better be close by." Donald huffed as he stomped his way through the snow.

…

…

…

We walked passed a giant cliff. Yuna, Lulu, Wakka, Auron, and Kimahri were ahead of us. We were going to catch up until we saw that Rikku had stopped.

"What's the matter, Rikku?" Goofy asked.

"Zanarkand is on the other side… isn't it?" She mumbled.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?" Donald questioned.

"I haven't thought of anything yet… Have you?" She asked Tidus.

"No. I haven't." He sighed sadly. Rikku lowered her head and closed her eyes. Tidus moved to stand in front of her. He placed both hands on her shoulders and smiled. "Hey. It's alright. We'll think of something, don't you worry."

"What are you two talking about? What's going on?" Sora asked.

"We've been trying to think of ways to save Yuna from her pilgrimage. We knew that Yuna needs the Final Aeon to defeat Sin, but what if there's a way to defeat Sin without using it? That's what we're trying to think of." Tidus answered.

"I just wish she would stop her pilgrimage already." Rikku pouted.

"She won't stop. Yuna is too determined to stop now, especially being so close to the end. When Yuna becomes determined, she sticks to it like super glue." Ke'Ania stated, not really looking at anyone.

"Yeah. We know." Both Tidus and Rikku sighed.

"But… Believe me when I saw this… Yuna won't die. She can't die." Ke'Ania said.

"How do you know that, Ke'Ania?" Sora asked.

"Let's just call it a hunch." The long haired girl smiled. I turned to start walking, but stopped when I felt an evil presence. "When will you learn to stay dead… _**Seymour**_…?" I growled after turning to face the blue haired menace.

"That's a harsh greeting for your savior." Seymour smirked.

I could feel my eyes changing to red and silver as I clenched my fists. _**"You are NOT my savior. You're somebody that needs to be put down for good." **_I glared while summoning my Keyblades and gripping them tightly.

"Will you fight me?" Seymour asked with a smile on his face.

"_**To see you extinguished from this world? Hell yes."**_ I said before turning my head to look at the others. _**"All of you, go get the others. I'll stay here and hold him off."**_

"You're not going to fight him alone. I'm staying with you." Sora said, moving to stand by my side. "The rest of you go on ahead. We'll hold him off."

I heard their footsteps disappear behind us. _**"I thought I told you to go with them? I don't want to see you get hurt." **_I scolded.

"I told you last night that I was terrified of losing you, right? So, if I ever lose you then I will lose too… right beside you. If we're going to die, then we're going to die together." Sora stated seriously.

"Isn't that cute. You both will accept death together. How admirable." Seymour chuckled.

"_**The only one dying today is you!"**_ I yelled as ran towards him.

I jumped up and brought both my blades down to attack him, but when I did there was a force field in the way. I tried my best to break through it, but it was too strong and ended up sending me fly backwards. My Keyblades fell out of my hand and I was about to hit the snowy ground, but Sora managed to catch me.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." I answered.

"**KE'ANIA!"** I heard everyone yell as they ran towards us.

"Are you ok?" Lulu asked.

I stood up, dusted myself off, and summoned my Keyblades back to my hands. "I'm fine, but he's the one you need to be worried about." I pointed to Seymour with a glare.

"Why are you still here?" Yuna glared hard too while standing next to me.

"Ah, Lady Yuna. What a pleasurable to see you again." The unsent smirked.

"I'm not happy to see you." She growled.

"Yuna, send him." Auron commanded.

Yuna started to dance, but stopped when Seymour put his hand up. "Before you send me… allow me to say something to the last Ronso."

"_**What Seymour mean by 'last Ronso'?"**_ Kimahri questioned.

"As I made my way up this mountain, your Ronso brethren threw themselves at me in pathetic attempts to try and stop me. But, with each one thrown at me was another on down. They dropped like flies at my hands." Seymour laughed.

"_**NO! HOW DARE YOU KILL KIMAHRI'S RONSO FAMILY? SEYMOUR WILL PAY FOR THAT!" **_Kimahri roared with grief and anger.

He wasn't the only one feeling rage at the moment. I could sense it coming from everyone here.

"Why do you insist on killing everyone, you sick bastard?" Wakka asked in anger.

"I am saving Spira. Everyone here is suffering from pain thanks to Sin. If everyone is dead, then there will be no more pain, no more suffering. I will destroy Spira so that I can heal it. With Lady Yuna's help, I will become the next Sin. And once that happens… your father, Sir Jetch, will be free from his pain and suffering as well."

I didn't know what that meant, hell none of us did, except for Tidus apparently. He was the only one that was truly angered by that statement. He growled, huffed and puffed before finally letting it all out.

"**SHUT THE FUCK UP!"** He yelled as he ran towards Seymour, but stopped when he saw a giant armor coming up from behind the cliff.

"_**Pitiful mortal."**_Seymour said as he was lifted into the air and his body became combined with the armor. _**"Your hope ends here as well as your meaningless existence."**_

**Normal P.O.V.**

The felt scared as they stared the newly transformed Seymour down. They had to fight. If they didn't, then their asses would be done for. Tidus was the first one to attack. He was on the front lines and he had the biggest grudge against the villain. He used his sword to slice the middle of this body, the second most vulnerable part of his body before jumping back. Yuna, Lulu, Donald and Rikku were shooting all of their magic at their opponent. Kimahri and Auron were continuously slicing at the body. Wakka was throwing his ball at Seymour's face. Sora and Ke'Ania jumped up to attack the head, Seymour. The large spear that Seymour had came down to stroke Kimahri and Auron, but Goofy got in the way and saved them with his shield. Angered that they kept hitting him, Seymour used the other set of hands to grab Ke'Ania and Sora.

He began to squeeze them hard, causing the teens to scream in pain. Trying to save them, Rikku added lighting to her hand, jumped off Kimahri and landed a good punch on Seymour. While he was being electrocuted, Auron and Tidus came up and sliced off the arms holding Ke'Ania and Sora. As they fell, Goofy caught Sora while Kimahri caught Ke'Ania. Once they were safely on the ground, Rikku flipped off of Seymour's body and ran to their side.

"You guys ok?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah. I have a little of a headache." Sora complained.

"Well you're going to have to deal with it because Seymour looks pretty pissed." Ke'Ania pointed out.

And she was right. He was pissed that his arms were now gone and that the group was winning somehow._** "You insects will pay for that. Prepare for Annihilation!"**_ He yelled as his body began to glow.

"What the hell is Annihilation?" Wakka asked.

"I don't know, but I don't want to really find out." Yuna said before summoning Shiva and Bahamut. "Shiva, we'll help you put up a strong ice shield. Bahamut, when it's done, can you please shield us with your large body?"

Both aeons nodded. Shiva, Yuna, Lulu, Donald, and Ke'Ania went to work. They added all of their ice powers to help build a powerful ice shield. To keep Seymour distracted, Bahamut used his Impulse and Wakka kept throwing his ball at him.

"_**Death awaits you."**_

"Get behind the shield and Bahamut!" Yuna shouted.

Everyone did as they were told and used the shield as the first cover and Bahamut as the second. They couldn't see what was going on, but they could hear it. First Seymour shot some lightning at the shield. It didn't do anything to it except scratch it a little. It would've cracked, but because it was so thick it was only scratched. Then he aimed some missiles at it, which created some little holes in it. Nothing so far was able to penetrate it yet. Finally, Seymour unleashed the last part of his attack as he flew by and unleashed a barrage fire balls and lighting mixed together. The fire melted some of the ice shield away. But because it was too thick, no one too any damage and the shield was still standing.

They moved from behind the shield and began to attack again in almost the same way. Shiva created large ice icicles and threw them at Seymour. Bahamut kept casting flare. Everyone else was attacking normally. Deciding that it was time to end this, Yuna turned to her aeons to ask for help.

"Can you two combine your powers so that this battle will be over?"

The two aeons nodded. Bahamut flipped onto all fours and readied his Mega Flare while Shiva hopped on his back and readied herself to hurl her ice icicles. Once the Mega Flare was released so were Shiva's ice icicles. They worked perfectly as a team and soon Seymour was defeated.

When the dust cleared, the group could see that Seymour's armor was malfunctioning. I started to shake and soon darkness surrounded him and his body became nothing, but a group of Pyreflies.

"And stay up there!" Tidus yelled before putting his sword away. When he walked over to Yuna she wore a troubling look on her face as she dismissed her aeons. "Ready to go?"

"No. There's something that's bothering me… What did he mean when he said, he'll become Sin with my help? And also, what did he mean when he said that once he becomes Sin Sir Jetch will be released?" She questioned.

"Do not listen to Seymour. He sprouts nonsense and lies. We've wasted enough time here. Let's go." Auron commanded.

"If you know something, tell me!" She commanded. Auron didn't say a word, so she moved to Tidus and stood in front of him. "Please, tell me."

Tidus lowered his head and gave a sigh. "You were right when you said that Jetch may be alive, but not in the way you think."

"What do you mean?" Donald asked.

"My old man… is Sin…" Tidus confessed, making everyone jump back.

"You serious?" Wakka gasped.

"Yes. I don't know how or why it happened. All I know is that he's inside Sin. I felt him. My old man is Spira's suffering… Sorry…" Tidus apologized.

"So, despite knowing that he is Sin, you know that I must~"

"Yeah. I know… Let's go get him." The blond male interrupted.

"You would fight against your own father?" Lulu asked.

"No problem with that. I just wish it weren't true." He nervously laughed.

"Damnit. Everything has just become even more fucked up." Wakka cursed while kicking snow.

"Come. We will be arriving soon. You will find your answers there, hopefully." Auron said.

Everyone looked at each other before following the warrior. Tidus was still frozen in place. He only moved when Yuna captured his hand and pulled him with her.

…

…

…

"Whoa. What is this place?" Rikku asked.

There were a bunch of people embedded in the stone wall with a blue mist everywhere and a spiral going upward. Yuna walked over to get a better look.

"I don't know what this place is, but these are Fayth and it looks like they were meant to be here to perform a summoning of some sorts." Yuna concluded.

"But, what could they be summoning that they need all these Fayth?" Lulu questioned as she moved closer to the wall.

"Don't touch them. Leave them be and let them rest." Auron commanded. But Tidus didn't listen. He touched one of them and fainted. After a few minutes, he began to wake up. "Why don't you listen to me?" Auron groaned.

"Are you ok?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. A good rest was what I needed." Tidus nervously laughed while stretching out his tired and sore muscles.

"You sure you're feeling alright? Maybe you need to lie down a little longer." Goofy suggested.

"Nope. I'm fine. Come on. We have to get to Zanarkand." The blond male smiled before marching ahead.

Auron slowly strolled to catch up. "Did you see anything while you were out?"

"Yeah and I found some things out too." Tidus answered.

"You have to tell me." Auron commanded.

"I can't right now. If I told you now and Yuna over heard… her heart would shatter and she would probably lose her will to go on. And I'm sure you don't want that."

"You're right. I don't." Auron nodded. "Be sure and tell me later then."

"I promise." Tidus nodded back as they continued onward.

…

…

…

The group made it through the cave with little trouble. They made it to the end of the cave with great success.

"Be on your guard. She likes to send powerful fiends to test summons and their guardians' strength." Auron warned.

"By 'she' you mean Lady Yunalesca?" Lulu asked.

Auron nodded. "She only give the Final Aeon to the strongest summoner that passes through this cave. Her beasts show no mercy, so be prepared for anything."

"So she is to be my final test?" Yuna stated more than questioned.

"What? Lost your nerve this far into your pilgrimage?" Auron lightly teased.

"No. Nothing frightens me anymore. I said I was going to see this all the way through and that's what I'm going to do." She said, determination thick in her tone.

"Braska would be proud. I'm proud." Auron smiled.

"Oh wow. The old fossil can smile? It must be a miracle." Tidus joked.

"I may be a fossil, but you're still a cry baby." Auron joked back.

"You think you're so smart, ya jackass." Tidus glared before following the rest of the group out of the cave.

Once they were out, they saw something big heading their way.

"What is that thing?" Rikku squealed.

"It's known as the Sanctuary Keeper. It's also one of her toughest fiends." Auron explained.

"Hn. Glad to see that she's wasting no time. I say bring it on. The faster we beat this thing, the faster we can make it to camp." Ke'Ania smirked with yellow and black irises.

The beast gave a loud roar to signal that it was ready to fight. Everyone got their weapons ready. The beast roared again before bringing its claws down to slice at them. Everyone jumped out of the way.

"I'm going to try and blind it, but the spell will only last temporarily so we have to hurry and attack it." Wakka stated. Everyone nodded and waited for their time to attack.

Wakka added a blinding spell to his ball before throwing it at the Keeper. The beast howled in pain as it tried to rub its eyes. This gave everyone an opportunity to attack it. Auron, Tidus, Sora, Ke'Ania and Kimahri all sliced at it while the other girls and Donald used their magic on it. Wakka kept throwing his ball from a distance. The Keeper was under siege and had to use its tail to knock everyone away from it. Goofy jumped in and held the tail off until everyone was out of harm's way. But the tail was too strong for him and Goofy ended up being knocked back. He was saved by Kimahri before he was knocked over the edge.

"Hey Ke'Ania! Ready to play some soccer?" Sora asked.

She thought about it for a minute before nodding. "Send it my way when it's ready!"

Sora focused his magic into his Keyblade and formed a giant fireball. When it was ready he threw it at Ke'Ania. She got ready for it. When it came at her, she raised her foot and sent that ball hurling at the beast. It got mad and let out another mighty roar.

"Oh no. I think you made it mad." Rikku laughed.

The Keeper raised its wings toward the sky and launched rays out of each one of them. The gang moved around and dodged each of the rays by getting under Goofy's shield or one of the ice shields Donald, Ke'Ania, Yuna, or Lulu made. When the rays were over, the beast moved to swipe its tail, but missed because it was still blinded.

"Lulu, I need you to add some of your flare magic to Wakka's ball. And, once I'm up in the air, I need you to throw your ball at me." Tidus commanded.

"What is it that you plan to do?" Lulu asked.

"Just trust me on this." Tidus shouted back as he ran towards the beast.

He jumped over the tail and brought his sword down. He slices at the Keeper's face multiple times before stabbing his sword into the ground. He jumped off of it and into the air. When he was high enough, Wakka threw his ball like he was asked to. When the ball came to Tidus, he did a back flip and kicked the ball at the Keeper. There was a big explosion. Wakka's ball returned to him and Tidus had his sword back. The beast howled in pain before finally collapsing onto the ground. A bright light surrounded it and soon it disappeared into Pyreflies.

Everyone cheered at their success as they put their weapons away. They were about to keep moving, but stopped when Rikku stood in front of the group.

"Can't we stop and rest for a little while?"

"There's no need. We reach the summit soon." Auron stated.

"That's not what I meant. Zanarkand is right down this path. That means that there's barely any time left with Yuna…" She mumbled to herself, but everyone heard her.

"Rikku…" Yuna sighed.

"It's alright. I'll just do some thinking on our way there." Rikku sighed sadly.

Everyone started to move except Tidus.

"Come on, brudda. You've come too far to stop now. Yuna needs us. This is no time to be second guessing yourself." Wakka lightly scolded.

"I know, but still…" Tidus drifted off, causing Auron to chuckle. "What's so funny, old man?"

"It's just that you remind me of myself when I stood at this exact place. I thought that I had finally come to terms with Braska dying, but I was wrong. I only realized that when I stood here. It was here that my resolve started to waver."

"Would've never guessed. I can't believe a legendary guardian like you would've choked." Wakka spoke.

"I am no legend. I was merely a boy when I guarded Braska. I was the same age as you actually with the same goal. I wanted to make a difference and change the world too, but I ended up changing nothing. The spiral of death still continued in Spira and it seems to have thickened." Auron plainly stated before turning and walking away. "Come on or you'll be left."

Tidus and Wakka followed behind Auron as a thousand thoughts ran through their heads.

…

…

…

"Yuna… I don't want you to go down there." Rikku stated sadly. "I don't want you going down there and getting something that will kill you. So, I say no."

"Rikku… all my life I knew this moment would come. I also knew that I would have people trying to stop me and I appreciate that you are a true friend and care so much, but this is something I have to do." Yuna said sternly.

"Yunie…" Rikku lowered her head and allowed the tears to fall.

Yuna walked over to her, dropping a sphere along the way, and hugged her close. "Thanks for everything Rikku. You're the best guardian I could've asked for." She smiled.

Rikku hugged her back. "Don't say that Yuna. It's not over… not yet anyways."

Yuna only nodded before pulling away and keeping Rikku at arm's length. "Tell Uncle Cid that I said thank you too."

"You can tell him yourself." Rikku smiled.

The two girls smiled at each other before turning and walking away. Tidus bent down and picked up the sphere that Yuna dropped.

"What's that?" Ke'Ania asked.

"I don't know. Yuna dropped it." Tidus answered.

"Well play it. Let's see what's on there." Donald said.

Tidus nodded and began to play the sphere. Everyone watched as Yuna said her goodbye to all of her guardians, except for Rikku because she recorded this on the Mi'ihen Highroad. The video cut off when Tidus came on the scene.

"She made this to say goodbye to us." Goofy said sadly.

"We're going to save her. One way or another. We have to." Sora stated.

Everyone nodded. Tidus put the sphere in his pocket. Everyone saw the group going down the path, but they were looking at the sunset that glowed over a city that's been dead for a thousand years… Zanarkand…

**To Be Continued…**

**Next Time on 'Secret Kingdom Hearts'…**

It's confession time when Ke'Ania and Yuna expose their plans.


	33. Throwing Faith Away

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Nothing special. Confession.

**Author Shout Out:**

_**CaptainAqua: **_I don't know if you got my reply, but defiantly let me know if you think of something for gold and I will start using it.

_**Khheroxassoray: **_Thank you for understanding and also reading my story. I didn't even know you did. I wish that you'd start reviewing. I would love to hear more from you and any others that I don't know who reads this story.__

**Author's Announcement: **I'm sorry for whoever reviewed this story and did not get mention. But whoever reviews this chapter I will make sure that you are mentioned in the next chapter. I would also like to thank everyone who is still with me even though I have not been updating like I want to. Thanks everyone for understanding and staying with me. I can't promise that I will be able to update like I am able to do this week all the time, but I can promise that I will update when I can and that each chapter will make up for it.

**Last Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**:**

"_Yuna… I don't want you to go down there." Rikku stated sadly. "I don't want you going down there and getting something that will kill you. So, I say no."_

"_Rikku… all my life I knew this moment would come. I also knew that I would have people trying to stop me and I appreciate that you are a true friend and care so much, but this is something I have to do." Yuna said sternly._

"_Yunie…" Rikku lowered her head and allowed the tears to fall._

_Yuna walked over to her, dropping a sphere along the way, and hugged her close. "Thanks for everything Rikku. You're the best guardian I could've asked for." She smiled._

_Rikku hugged her back. "Don't say that Yuna. It's not over… not yet anyways."_

_Yuna only nodded before pulling away and keeping Rikku at arm's length. "Tell Uncle Cid that I said thank you too."_

"_You can tell him yourself." Rikku smiled._

_The two girls smiled at each other before turning and walking away. Tidus bent down and picked up the sphere that Yuna dropped._

"_What's that?" Ke'Ania asked._

"_I don't know. Yuna dropped it." Tidus answered._

"_Well play it. Let's see what's on there." Donald said._

_Tidus nodded and began to play the sphere. Everyone watched as Yuna said her goodbye to all of her guardians, except for Rikku because she recorded this on the Mi'ihen Highroad. The video cut off when Tidus came on the scene._

"_She made this to say goodbye to us." Goofy said sadly._

"_We're going to save her. One way or another. We have to." Sora stated._

_Everyone nodded. Tidus put the sphere in his pocket. Everyone saw the group going down the path, but they were looking at the sunset that glowed over a city that's been dead for a thousand years… Zanarkand…_

**Chapter 30: Throwing Faith Away**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

When we made it to Zanarkand, the sun was setting on the water and making it look as f it was on fire. Just like Tidus said, but the sense of what was coming next made the atmosphere around us seem heavier than the heaviest steel. Without a word between us, we moved to place all of our weapons away from us.

Yuna, Tidus, Ke'Ania, Auron, Kimahri, and my weapons were stuck in the ground with the blades stuck in the dirt. Wakka, Goofy, Donald, Rikku, and Lulu's were adjusted so that theirs leaned against our weapons. I didn't have to look around to notice that each one of us had sad looks in our eyes. Ke'Ania's beautiful blue irises were a dead giveaway. After a final gentle group sigh, we moved to sit in a semi-spaced circle.

Rikku placed some logs in the middle of our circle before Ke'Ania used her fire element to light a fire. The heat from the flame was comforting against the light breeze that blew through this empty city, but it did nothing to lighten the atmosphere. Deep sighs passing between us were the only sounds that could be heard.

I looked to my right and saw Ke'Ania get up from her seat beside me and moved to sit in front of Yuna. I looked at the two girls and felt an achy pain inside of my chest. This situation with Yuna is placing more stress on Ke'Ania. It's already bad enough that all of the princesses we've met have been kidnapped, but now that we're so close to almost the end of Yuna's journey must really be taking a toll on her. On the outside, she may look cheery and like herself, but on the inside and through her blue eyes I can see the amount of sadness that she is facing. I only wish that I could help her.

**SIGH**

I lifted my head when I heard Tidus give a brief, but loud sigh as he stood up. He moved towards Yuna and Ke'Ania and placed his hand on Yuna's shoulder. The summoner looked down sadly as she reached up and covered his hand with hers. Tidus let his hand rest there for a little bit before removing it and moving to stand on a mini cliff that was overlooking the sunset and burning river. Deciding to follow him, I stood up and walked over to stand by his side.

"You ok?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah… It's just weird to be home, ya home. Although I don't know if I can really call this place home." He sighed again.

"Why? Because of how destroyed it is?" He nodded at my second question before allowing silence to come between us. "So… have you thought of anything yet?"

"No. Not yet. And being here isn't helping. Being here means that we're nearing the end of her journey and closer to the time when she has to use the Final Aeon to defeat Sin. I just don't know what to do, ya know. I think of an idea, but immediately scrap it because it sounds too childish." He stated sadly.

"Well, how do you know they're stupid if you haven't spoken to us about it?" I asked.

"Because… most of them involve kidnapping her and hiding her away from all of this. But, even if I were to do that, take her somewhere where you guys can't find her, I can't hide her from Sin. My ideas are hopeless." He said with a hand over his face.

"I know how you feel, when you have the urge to save someone you love from danger." I said as I turned to look at Ke'Ania. She was comforting Yuna, but the words were too quiet for me to hear. "I don't like the fact that Ke'Ania is here with me. I know that she can take care of herself, but I'd rather have her somewhere safe instead of here. Her being here makes me very nervous. I can't help but to think that something… bad… will happen to her and because I couldn't save her… it would be my fault." I confessed before turning back to face him. He was looking at the girls too.

"It hurts… It hurts bad…" Was all Tidus said while turning back to stare at the sunset.

I did the same with my hands in my pockets and many thoughts in my head. I was trying to think of a way to save Yuna from Sin while also trying to get rid of the negative thoughts in my head that have to do with Ke'Ania.

"_I can't be thinking about that now. Tidus and Yuna need my help. I can't get side track and lose focus."_

"Everyone gather around… we have something to tell you all." Ke'Ania sighed as she stood up with her head down and her bangs covering her face.

"What is it?" Lulu asked.

"Yeah. Please don't tell me there's more bad news. I don't think my heart can take it." Wakka grunted while whipping his hand on his face.

"It's particularly bad news… We just think it's time you knew about our plans and secrets." Yuna answered.

"Secrets? Plans? Yunie? Ke'Ania? What's going on?" Rikku asked, moving into sit on her legs.

"First of all… I would like to apologize to Donald, Goody, and Sora." Ke'Ania started, her head never moved.

"For what?" Donald asked.

"I never told you, but… I now see why Merlin's magic sent us here… It wasn't an accident. We were meant to be here. I'm just glad he sent us here when he did."

"What are you talking about, Ke'Ania? You're not making any sense." I said while moving to sit in the circle with Tidus.

"Yuna… is a Pure Heart Princess and Seymour… is working for the Darkness." Ke'Ania confessed, causing everyone to gasp.

"How long did you know?" Auron asked.

"I've known about Yuna since we first met her in the Chamber of the Fayth. I knew about Seymour when I encountered him in Luca. It was before the game and when I got separated from Donald and Goofy. He knew about me and Yuna when I spoke to him. I could practically choke on the Darkness coming from him it was so thick." She relied with her fists clenched a little bit.

"Why didn't you tell us? You know that you trust us." Goofy questioned.

"She told me. She told me that I was a Pure Heart Princess and that Seymour. I was shocked when I first heard it and I didn't want to worry you guys, so we came up with a plan. We were going to eliminate Seymour before he could take me, but we failed horribly each time. We tried to do it when none of you were around, but later we found out just how corrupted he truly was and tried to do it while all of you were around so it looked it was a team effort, but as you can see… the Darkness keeps bringing him back. I'm almost scared of just how strong he'll become with the Darkness on his side. I also fear that we have not seen the last of him either." Yuna explained.

I felt my throat run dry. I was in shock about this.

"Naïve fools. Did you really think you could take out Seymour just like that and expect to not get caught? If you had done it, they would've investigated and our journey here would've been harder than need be." Auron scolded as he stood up.

I felt a little angry at Auron's words. "Hey Auron, back off ok. You're being too harsh on them." I spoke first.

"Yeah. They were only trying to protect us just like we're trying to protect Yunie. And besides, even if they succeeded, our journey would've been hard either way." Rikku defended along side of me.

Auron look at us before sighing and sitting down. "You're right. Besides, there's nothing we can do about it now. What's done is done."

"That may seem fine to you, but what I don't understand is how can the Darkness reach us? I mean, didn't you say that we're further than any other?" Lulu asked.

"That is true, but it doesn't matter how far a world is t the other infected worlds, as long as there is a channel, Darkness can come through. Seymour is that channel, but not Sin. During all of those times, I could not sense Darkness within it, but Seymour is defiantly drenched in it." Ke'Ania replied while looking at everyone.

"Ok, so now that we know everything… What do we do now?" Tidus questioned.

"First things first, we must see Lady Yunalesca and get the Final Aeon. Anything else after that will have to be played by ear until we have a full proof plan." Yuna answered.

"Well we're not going to go now are we? I mean, none of us have had a chance to rest since we left the Calm Lands. I suggest we get some sleep and when everyone wake up, we'll go to Lady Yunalesca. Deal?" Wakka suggested.

We all nodded and moved until we were in a comfortable position and slept. The quiet sounds of light and heavy snoring surrounded me in the night. I laid awake until the fire burned out. The smell of smoke, ash, and burnt wood filled my senses and basically lulled me to sleep… Well that and the thought of being a super hero helped a little too.

…

…

…

The rays of sunlight woke us up. Everyone stood up and stretched. No one said a word. We just stared at each other before watching Yuna move to grab her staff out o the ground. Ke'Ania, Tidus, Auron, Rikku, Lulu, Wakka, Donald, Goofy, and Kimahri all followed after her with me picking up the rear.

The sadden look on Yuna's face brought the atmosphere down until Tidus sighed before walking into the middle of the group and holding his sword on top of her rod.

"Yuna… No matter what happens from this moment on… I will protect you… even if that means I have to sacrifice me life to do so. I will make sure that you are there to witness the first ray of sunshine brought by your own Calm. This I swear." He vowed with a serious look on his face.

Hearing his vow lifted the spirits of everyone too. With a mutual nod, we all did the same and placed our weapons on top of her staff and his water sword. We couldn't stop smiling at the shocked expression on her face as we stood there and silently promised her the same thing.

She shook her head with a wide smile before looking at us. "Thank you everyone. You're the best guardians and friends any summoner could ask for." We nodded at her comment while removing our weapons and putting them away. "Let's go. Lady Yunalesca is waiting for us."

…

…

…

"Wait a second." Ke'Ania suddenly said with her hand raised.

"What is it, Ke'Ania?" Goofy asked.

Her eyes were closed, but I could see her spiked ears moving slightly. "I hear people talking."

"Another summoner and their guardian are here?" Yuna asked.

"You sure you're not hearing things? There's no way someone else is here." Wakka questioned.

"No, I'm certain. My sensitive hearing has never failed me. I know I hear someone talking." Ke'Ania replied, opening her eyes to revile her green irises.

"Then let's go check it out." Rikku cheered.

…

…

…

"What the hell?" Rikku cursed as we watched a lot of Pyreflies flying around us.

"Why does this place look like the Farplane?" Wakka asked.

"This is place is a treasure trove for the dead that do not turn into fiends. It has been ten years since I was last here and what you're about to see will shock you." Auron reviled with his arm in his jacket.

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"Look over there." The gray haired man pointed.

We looked in front of us and jumped at the sight before us.

"_If it will give Spira a future, then I will gladly give my life so that you may defeat Sin. As your guardian, I am asking you to grant me the highest honor of being a guardian. Lady Yocun, please use me to rid this world of Sin."_ A female guardian stated before her summoner and she ran away from us.

"Wait a second. Did she say Lady Yocun? As in High Summoner Lady Yocun? What is this sorcery?" Lulu asked.

"I did say that this place is the home to many spirits that do not turn into fiends or go to the Farplane. When Braska, Jetch, and I came here ten years ago, we encountered the same apparitions. We better step lively. There is more to see in the little bit of time we have left." Auron said as he led us further into Zanarkand.

…

…

…

"Hey look. It's another memory." Donald stated.

"I wonder who it's about?" Lulu asked.

"Let's go see." Goofy said.

When we moved in closer, we saw a small child crying in the arms of a long haired brunette female.

"_Mother no! You can't do it! You can't become a faith!"_ The child cried.

"_I'm sorry Seymour, my son, but there is no other way. I can't keep having people treat you this way and not accept your heritage. You must use me to defeat Sin and have other people accept you. It is my duty to protect you. But I cannot protect you from the cruelness of people. If you do this, my son, then you will not be so alone in this world. Please Seymour. Use me to defeat Sin. This is the only request I have as your mother."_ The woman spoke as she cradled the child.

"_I don't care about not being accepted by other people mother! All I need is you! If people don't accept me, then we can run away and live without anyone bothering us! Please Mother! All I need is you! Please don't do this!"_ The child cried harder.

"_Oh my son… I'm doing this so that you can become happy." _The woman sighed before picking up the boy and walking away. _"One day… you'll understand."_

We watched them walk away until they disappeared.

"That… was Seymour and his Mother right?" Wakka asked.

"It seems she brought him here to accomplish what only summoners can just so he'd be accepted." Auron spoke.

"I can see why she did it. But that's still too much a mother can ask of her child." Yuna shook her head.

"Well, at least we know why he's so screwed up and why he could summon only Anima." Ke'Ania chuckled.

"We should keep moving." Tidus commanded while moving towards the front of the group.

"Yeah. These apparitions are giving me the creeps." I shivered.

…

…

…

"Oh no." Tidus groaned.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Jetch. Braska. Auron. They are ahead." Kimahri spoke with his arms crossed.

I didn't understand until I looked ahead.

"_Braska. You don't have to do this ya know. You can turn back around and raise little Yuna instead of sacrificing yourself for the likes of Spira."_Jetch said.

"_Jetch. Thank you for your concern, but I've made my decision." _Braska voiced with determination.

Jetch's shoulders were hunched as he sighed. _"Fine. Do as you wish. I've said my piece." _The man said with his arms crossed and his head turned to the side.

"_Well, you may have said you piece, but I haven't. Braska. You need to listen to reason. I don't want to see you die. You have so much to live for. Jetch is right. You can turn back now and go raise Yuna." _A younger Auron pleaded.

"_You already knew this was going to happen. And you knew that I wasn't going to back down. I am very grateful for your concern, but I will not back down."_ Braska smiled lightly before turning away from them. _"Let's move on."_

Jetch nodded as he followed Braska. Auron just stood there and shook his head. _"Braska…"_

Yuna placed her hands over her mouth in an attempt to stop herself from crying. "Father…"

Ke'Ania moved to touch Yuna's shoulders in a comforting manor. The summoner placed her hands over Ke'Ania in a grateful way.

"Let's keep moving." Auron commanded.

…

…

…

"They're here too? Are we basically following you guys to the rest of the way?" Tidus groaned.

"Basically." Auron chuckled.

"_So… is this where the trails are?" _Jetch asked.

"_Yes. They up ahead." _Braska nodded.

"_Damn. Are there ever going to be fireworks and a parade?"_ Jetch slightly chuckled.

"_Why don't you ask for them after I defeat Sin?"_ Braska questioned.

"… … _It wouldn't be the same with you…"_ Jetch mumbled.

Braska nodded as he placed his hand on a sulking Jetch's shoulder. _"It'll be alright."_ Jetch nodded in return as he watched Braska turn around. _"Let's go."_

We watched Auron and Jetch run after Braska.

"What was with him and throwing parties with fireworks?" I asked.

"He always did love to party. But, didn't he know that this was a serious situation?" Tidus questioned with irritation.

"The more Jetch came to understand Spira, the more he was against Braska coming here. I can't count how many times he tried to fight Braska on coming here. They actually got into a fist fight with Braska as the winner. It was quite a sight to see." Auron chuckled at the memory.

"But, I still don't get it. If he knew that Lord Braska coming here was serious, why did Sir Jetch want to celebrate it?" Lulu asked.

"Jetch wasn't celebrating Jetch being a summoner. He wanted to celebrate Braska's life. Jetch knew that Braska would never get to experience life after he defeated Sin. The celebration he wanted to throw for Braska was so Braska would understand that he would be missed and that he is greatly appreciated. After spending some time with us and in Spira… Jetch became less selfish and learned to do good and care for others. He grew so much from the partying drunkard that I first knew him as. I was proud of him." Auron sighed. Tidus moved to place a hand on Auron's shoulder. "You would've been proud too."

"I think… I'm starting to be…" Tidus smiled softly.

"Let's continue onward. We shouldn't keep her waiting." Yuna commanded softly.

…

…

…

"Huh? What kind of trial is this?" Rikku asked.

"Maybe this isn't the trail?" Ke'Ania said curiously as she walked forward.

"Watch out!" I yelled to her.

She looked at me in confusion before looking down. The square she stepped on began to glow with the Glyph sign on it. The line attached to it began to glow and soon the screen across the room began to glow too.

"What is on the screen? Some kind of pattern?" Wakka questioned.

"Let's get a closer look." Lulu said as she stepped passed Ke'Ania and onto the floor.

When her foot touched a square with a glowing white dot on the floor, a tune played and an upside down 't' formed.

"Ok, now I'm confused." I groaned.

"Yeah Auron, what gives? What's with the tune and the 't'?" Tidus asked in slight frustration.

"It's a puzzle. There are two rooms in this temple with another screen. On the screen is a puzzle we must solve. The floor has the puzzle pieces. Step on the right on and we can pass through. Step on the wrong one, and you'll have to start over." Auron explained.

"Ok, so you've done this before. That means you can give us the answers right?" Ke'Ania said with sincere hope in her purple eyes.

"Sorry, but that is something I cannot help you with."

"Why? Because you forgot?" Donald asked.

"No, but because it's cheating. Lady Yunalesca only grants power to true summoners. If I give you the answers, then everything we did before this would be for nothing." Auron informed.

"Fair enough. Alright everyone, looks like we're on our own." Yuna said.

"I will give you a hint. On the ground are several squares that have a white glow to them, like the one Lulu stepped on. If you look at them closely, you can see the outline of each puzzle piece. Good luck." Auron chuckled as he moved to lean against the wall.

"Gee thanks Auron." Rikku said with a roll of her eyes. "Alright. The first thing is for someone to go over there and tell us the pattern we're supposed to solve.

"I do it."

"Be careful Goofy." I warned.

Goofy moved carefully across the floor, casually tripping here and there, until he finally made it to the screen. " I made it!" He cheered.

"What's the next piece we need?" Yuna yelled.

"It looks like a capital 'I'!" He shouted back.

"_A capital 'I'?"_ I thought to myself.

I looked around the floor and saw an outline of it. I jumped on top of the glowing square and watched as a tune played and a capital 'I' showed up.

"Great job, Sora. But how did you find it?" Donald asked.

"Simple, I found the outline." I smiled proudly.

"Alright everyone. Let's finish these puzzles." Tidus commanded.

Goofy told us which pieces we needed to find and soon the puzzle was finished. A little tune played before six alters appeared, the door rose and the pieces on the floor disappeared.

We went through the door and saw a bigger room. "So we have to do the same thing here?" Rikku asked.

"Yes." Auron replied.

"Where do we start?" Yuna asked.

"In the other room, you have to push the alters and solve each one holds one at a time." He answered.

"Fair enough. Ok everyone, let's get started." Tidus commanded.

…

…

…

After about an hour of doing each puzzle, we were exhausted but satisfied. When all of the puzzles were completed, a tune played and caused the floor elevator to glow brightly.

"Yaya we did it!" Ke'Ania, Rikku, Donald, Goofy, and I cheered.

"Don't celebrate just yet." Auron stated with his sword behind in his right hand. We looked up and saw a giant fiend appear from below the ground. "Told ya."

"Give me a break." I sighed.

**Normal P.O.V.**

The seven of them readied for the fiend's attack. It swung its arms causing Ke'Ania and Sora to use their Keyblades to hold its claws back while Tidus, Rikku, Kimahri, and Auron attacked its torso. Yuna, Wakka, Donald, Goofy, and Lulu attacked from a distance. Lulu shot ice icicles at it while Yuna shot fireballs. Donald used wind to add more force behind Goofy's shield.

The hold on its arms was getting to be too much for them to handle, so Ke'Ania and Sora pushed them away before adding thunder to their Keyblades and throwing them at it. The creature screamed in pain from their combined attack.

"Yes!" Ke'Ania and Sora cheered after their weapons returned to them.

"Watch out!" Yuna yelled.

Both of them looked up and saw that its claws were coming back down. Ke'Ania and he managed to flip out of the way just in time. The creature's claws got stuck in the ground, giving everyone a chance to attack.

Wakka added some water to his ball before kicking it in the fiend's face. Donald, Yuna, Lulu, and Goofy continued their assault. Auron, and Kimahri sliced into its torso. Rikku ran up its arms and was able to use her weapon to send a charge of lightning inside of it while Ke'Ania and Sora disconnected its arms.

The creature gave a final scream before finally collapsing onto the ground. Everyone watched as the body turned into Pyreflies and disappeared.

"Come on everyone… It's time to go. The chamber of the Final Aeon awaits us." Yuna lightly commanded.

Everyone nodded before stepping on to the floor elevator. The elevator lowered them to the chamber, but when they got there… something was wrong.

"What the hell?! What kind of bullshit is this?! I hear no singing! I feel no Fayth! What's going on here, Auron?!" Ke'Ania growled with fisted hands and red eyes.

"The statue lost its powers years ago. That is the reason you do not see, hear, or sense a Fayth. But this statue was, at one point, a Fayth. It was Lord Zaon. Yunalesca turned him into a Fayth so that they could defeat Sin. This statue… is all that is let of him. He has not soul anymore. Only Yunalesca remains. She remains so that she may give any summon who passes through here the Final Aeon." Auron answered.

"Then where am I supposed to get the Aeon from?" Yuna asked.

"From Yunalesca." Was all Auron said before walking to a door behind the statue. He touched the wall, causing the Glyphs symbol to light up and create an opening. "Through this opening… Lady Yunalesca is waiting to give you the Final Summoning." Auron said sadly.

"And you knew this was going to happen the whole time?" Tidus questioned suspiciously.

"Yes…"

"Well why didn't you tell us?" Donald said irritated.

"Would it have mattered? Yuna would've come anyway. She has made her decision and has an iron will protecting it… Just like Braska." Auron explained.

Yuna took a deep breath before taking a step forward, only to be stopped by Kimahri.

"Kimahri… Let me pass." Yuna commanded sternly.

"Kimahri go first. Yuna will be safe if Kimahri protect front. Everyone else protect back. Yuna will be safe." The Ronso smiled before walking through the opening first.

Yuna followed after him while everyone else followed Yuna. They needed to hurry to obtain the Final Aeon before it's too late.

…

…

…

"Wait. I see someone coming." Goofy announced.

Everyone looked up and saw a fair skinned woman with floor length, white hair. "Welcome, Summoner Yuna." The woman spoke.

Yuna stepped forward and swallowed the large lump in her throat. "You wouldn't be… Lady Yunalesca, would you?"

"Indeed I am and I am here to welcome you to the final part of your journey… obtaining the Final Aeon." She smiled as she walked towards the group.

"Tell me. What is it that I must do in order to get it?" Yuna asked.

"In order for me to grant you the Final Aeon… you must make a choice."

"Whoa, wait a minute lady. What do you mean Yuna has to make a choice? Can't she just pray to you and bond with the Fayth? Like she did with the other aeons?" Ke'Ania questioned.

"Did you not know, child?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't have asked if I did. Now, answer my question. What does Yuna have to decide." Ke'Ania glared at Yunalesca with her arms crossed.

"Very well then. I will educate you eleven about the final process a summoner must go through to obtain the Final Aeon." Yunalesca sighed. "When a summoner has completed their journey, they come here to Zanarkand to obtain the Final Aeon from me. But, before they can obtain the aeon, a summoner must choose on if their guardians to use as the Fayth for the Final Aeon. But, it cannot be just any guardian. The guardian chosen must have a strong bond with their summoner. Bonds between mother and child, husband and wife, sister and brother, close friends or family, or lovers are the bonds that will be accepted for this transformation."

"You've got to be kidding me! So you mean to tell me that summoners and guardians are supposed to go through this hard ass pilgrimage, just to have one of the summoner's guardians turned into a Fayth that's just going to kill the summoner in the end?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Tidus yelled as he stepped in front of Yuna defensively.

"That is why the bond must be strong between the chosen guardian and the summoner. If the bond is not strong enough, not only will the summoner not be able to obtain the Final Aeon, but when the aeon kills the summoner they will not be able to go to the Farplane in peace." The woman explained.

"This isn't right!" Sora shouted in irritation.

"This is how thing must be. Lady Yuna… I will be waiting beyond these doors when you have made your decision." And with that, Yunalesca walked through the doors gracefully. The group waited until the doors were fully closed.

"This is complete and utter bullshit!" Tidus yelled kicking the ground.

"Auron, how could you bring us here knowing what the end result was going to be?" Lulu asked.

"This is all your fault, Sir Auron. And I looked up to you." Wakka tsked with his arms folded.

"Like I said before, it would not matter if I told you. Yuna would've come anyway, despite my pleas not to. This is something she must face… just like Braska."

When Auron finished speaking, he closed his eyes and allowed his memories to be seen.

"_Braska, please. It is not too late to turn back."_ A younger Auron pleaded.

"_IF I turn back, then who will defeat Sin? Would you have another summoner and their guardians go through this?"_ Braska asked.

"_Better them than you. You have some much to live for. What about Yuna? You're just going to leave her alone?"_ Auron asked angrily.

"_I would rather leave her alone during the Calm instead of living in fear and being worried that Sin will come and take her away from me or vise versa." _ Braska spoke.

"_This is pissing me off."_ Jetch groaned with his arms crossed.

"_See, Jetch agrees with me."_ Auron argued.

"_I meant all of the bitchin you're doing."_

"_Are you trying to say that you want Braska to die?!" _Auron yelled.

"_Of course not, ya idiot!" _Jetch yelled back before closing his eyes and folding his arms. _"What I meant was that if this is what Braska what's to do, then we as his guardians have to back him up like we've been doing this whole time. Braska, as your guardian, I volunteer myself."_

"_No! There has to be another way to obtain the Final Aeon without sacrificing yourselves!"_ Auron pleaded with light tears in his eyes.

"_Well this is the only way we've got now, Auron! Braska, please use me to help kill Sin. I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I can see now that I will never get back to the Zanarkand I called home. Shame really. I wanted so much to turn my son into a Blitzball star. I wanted to show him what's it like to know what it's like to see the world from the top. I wanted to see him succeed, but knowing that I won't be able to go home means that I will never see my dream come true. There is nothing left for me now. You, on the other hand, can make something of yourself. This something Braska needs to do and since there is nothing left for me, I __**need **__to be the one who turns into the Final Aeon. I'm going to be the one who will help Braska defeat Sin." _Jetch argues.

"_Jetch…"_

"_Braska. Don't try to stop me. I've already made up my mind. Don't try to talk me out of it."_ Jetch huffed with his arms crossed.

"_No… I just wanted to say thank you for being for me, my friend."_ Braska smiled with one hand on Jetch's shoulder. _"Let's go."_

"_Jetch! Lord Braska! Don't you two realize that Sin will always return? You're death's will be meaningless."_ Auron argued.

"_Braska still needs to fight Sin, Auron. I'm trusting you to get him there safely. As for the cycle… don't worry about it. I'll break it."_

"_You have a plan, Jetch?"_ Auron asked.

"_I'm working on it, but don't worry… I'll break it… someway."_ Jetch chuckled before the apparitions disappeared.

"And the cycle continued, as you can tell." Auron sighed, trying to hold back some of the sadness welling inside of him from the memory.

"Then we'll pick up where he left off." Tidus smiled with determination.

"You finally figured out a plan?" Sora asked.

"No, but I will figure something out." Tidus said with his arms folded.

"Well while you're trying to figure out something, I volunteer." Lulu said, stepping forward.

"No Yuna. Choose me." Wakka volunteered.

"What are you two doing? What is sacrificing yourselves going to do? One of you will become a Fayth, Yunie will defeat Sin, you'll kill her, the Calm will come again and so will Sin. Just like Auron said. It's a cycle and by sacrificing yourselves, you'll only die for nothing. I don't want anyone to die." Rikku said sadly.

"We all want Yuna to be safe, right? You don't want Sin to come back? Well reality check, it's not going to happen. This is the only way we can defeat Sin. You're acting like a child." Wakka scolded.

"Wakka's right. You shout things about wanting this and wanting that, but if you strive for everything you'll only end up with nothing." Lulu scolded as well.

"Then I'll come up with a way where I _**can **_have everything!" Tidus argued.

"Alright, calm down you three. Arguing will not get us anywhere."

"Ke'Ania's right. We all want Yuna and everyone else safe, so why don't we sit down and think of a plan so that we can get the Final Aeon without sacrificing." Donald suggested.

"But Donald, the more we sit here, the more Spira is in danger from Sin." Goofy countered.

"Kimahri thinks that we should ask Yuna."

Yuna was at a lost. Everyone brought up valid points to their arguments, but she still didn't know what to do. "Let's speak with Lady Yunalesca. Maybe there's something she's not telling us that we can use to make a final decision."

Everyone nodded at Yuna's suggestion before following her through the double doors.

…

…

…

"Ah, Lady Yuna that was not so long. Have you decided who will be your Fayth?" Yunalesca asked as she walked up a set of stairs.

"I would like to ask you something first before I decide." Yuna started. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "If I were to go through the process and obtain the Final Aeon and use it to defeat Sin, despite my death… would Sin return?"

"Of course. Sin is internal. No matter how many summoners and guardians stand up to it, it will always return. That is why I must remain here on Spira for the rest of eternity. I must give the same choice to everyone after you, just like I had to give the same choice to your father and everyone before him."

"But that makes no sense. How can something that continuously gets defeated still remain eternal?" Sora asked.

"Every Final Aeon that is used in the fight against Sin becomes the new Sin. In a way, you could think of Sin as a forever summoning." Yunalesca explained.

"Well, at least we know how Jetch became Sin." Tidus sighed.

"But that can't be. The teachings say that if we atone for our Sins and remain faithful, then Sin will be gone on day. Are you telling me that Yevon lied to us?" Wakka asked.

"The teachings given to the people of Spira do not lie. The part about Sin's eventual disappearance was only placed there to calm the faithful. It is something used to help those who fear Sin to sleep at night while my father is roaming around."

"You're father… is alive? Yu Yevon is alive?" Rikku said with much curiosity.

"Yes, in a sense. He was the leader when Zanarkand and Bevelle were at war. During a point in the war, it looked as if Zanarkand was about to be toppled. In an effort to save it, my father, Yu Yevon, asked the remaining people of Zanarkand to give themselves to be Fayth. When they agreed, my father took their souls to create Dream Zanarkand and Sin. When Sin was created, he gave it instructions to follow. But as time progressed, the summoning of Dream Zanarkand and controlling Sin grew too much, so he lost his humanity and combined with Sin. The beast know as Sin is still running on my father's instructions, but he is now my father's shield. Before doing this, my father told me his plan and left it in my hands. I came up with the Final Summoning and used my husband to defeat Sin for the first time. After Lord Zaon and I destroyed the original Sin, he killed me before my father took hold of my husband's new form and created a new Sin. I became an unsent and passed the word on to the leaders of Bevelle. Thus creating the tradition of the Calm, returning of Sin, a summoner's pilgrimage, and obtaining the Final Aeon." The long haired woman explained.

"So you mean to tell me that it is the Final Summoning that keeps Sin alive?" Lulu questioned with frustration.

"Yes. After a summoner and their guardian(s) destroy Sin's armor, Yu Yevon attaches itself to the Final Aeon and hides until it is at its full strength. That happens during the Calm."

"Again, Yevon is full of complete and utter bullshit. How could something that is meant to destroy your enemy also be used to restore it? That makes no sense and is a tradition that needs to be thrown out." Ke'Ania glared with red eyes.

"This **IS **the only way Sin can be defeated. Now Lady Yuna… you must choose."

"I choose no one." Yuna said strongly.

"I do not understand. You must choose someone from your party to become your Final Aeon so that they may become the new Sin. You must give up someone so that Spira can have a new hope. That is how this process works."

"That is exactly why I am not choosing. Ke'Ania is right. This tradition should be thrown out. No one should have to die so that Spira can live in false hope for all eternity. When I first became a summoner, I was ready to die so that they may be safe, but not anymore. Now that I know the truth, I will not participate in this ridiculous tradition." Yuna glared.

"Your father knew this truth and continued with it. Why will you not?" Yunalesca questioned.

"My father may have knew this truth, but he only went through with this because he had no other choice, but I will think of another way to save Spira. I, like my father, want to get rid of Spira's sorrow, not cover up with lies. I don't know how or when, I will defeat Sin for good." The summoner gripped her staff in her hands tightly. "And it will start with getting rid of this useless tradition."

"If that is how you feel, then so be it. I will put you poor creatures out of your misery." Yunalesca said as she rose into the air with some tentacles forming around her.

"Everyone get ready! Together, we fight! This is the time to choose which life you want to live in! Die and be free from pain, or live and defeat your sorrow! Your fates are in your hands! Now's the time to shape your stories!" Auron shouted as he readied his sword.

"Bout damn time we did something about Yevon's fake traditions." Tidus smirked with his sword in his hand."

"Yeah. I've been waiting to shut this bitch up for good." Ke'Ania smiled with black irises.

"I'm ready when you guys are." Sora announced.

"We're fighting too, Goofy." Donald said with his staff readied.

"Right behind you, Donald."

"Kimahri will give life to save Yuna."

"I'm with you Kimahri!" Rikku cheered with her weapon held tightly.

"I can't believe that we're fighting Lady Yunalesca. This seems so wrong." Wakka sighed while holding his ball.

"Backing out? I thought you were stronger than that, Wakka." Lulu said with a hint of anger in her voice

"Of course not. If I backed out now and if anything were to happen… I'd never forgive myself. I would rather die here alongside you guys any day." Wakka said in determination.

"My thoughts exactly." Lulu smiled at the orange haired man.

"Yuna. This whole time, I kept thinking that this was my story, but now I see that it's your story too. So let's finish it together." Tidus smiled at her.

""You got it." She smiled back.

"_**If this is what you choose, then I will free you from your disillusions and sorrows. I will be your liberator." **_Yunalesca said as she readied for battle.

Tidus, Ke'Ania, Sora, Kimahri, and Auron rushed at her, but before they could attack she grabbed them with her tentacles. The group struggled with no progress.

"I'll save you!" Goofy shouted before throwing his shield only to have Yunalesca catch it, throw it back and hit Goof with it.

"Hey! You can't do that to him!" Donald yelled.

Duck raised his staff and unleashed lightning. When it hit, the lightning did not hit her, but instead shocked the others.

"You're not helping!" Rikku grunted.

"Sorry."

Ke'Ania took a deep before blowing some fire onto the tentacle that was holding her. Yunalesca hissed in pain before tightening her grip around Ke'Ania. _**"Silly girl. Do you think that that'll work?"**_

Ke'Ania screamed in agony as the hold on her became unbearable. Tighter she squeezed, the louder Ke'Ania screamed until she finally stopped. Everyone looked up and saw that the light skinned girl had fainted.

"Hold on you guys! I'm going to summon!" Yuna shouted.

She got her staff readied and summoned Yojimbo. When the aeon and his dog arrived on the scene, he stared Yunalesca down before removing his sword and freeing the captured. Because Ke'Ania was still unconscious, Sora had to catch her when she fell.

"Bring her here Sora. I'll wake her up while the rest of you fight." Lulu said.

Sora did as he was told and ran past everyone that was fighting before laying Ke'Ania in front of the mage.

While Lulu was working on Ke'Ania, Yojimbo and his dog were fighting with the rest of the team. In the end, it was Yojimbo that delivered the final blow to the unsent woman. When that happened, Lulu used her water to wake Ke'Ania up.

"What's going on?" The brunette asked.

"We won. Lady Yunalesca is dead." Lulu announced.

"Are you sure? Because it doesn't look that way." Ke'Ania said as she stood up.

Everyone turned and saw that Yunalesca wasn't defeated. She was transforming instead. When she finished, Yunalesca stuck one of her tentacles through Yojimbo and his dog, making them disappear.

"She banished my aeon." Yuna said in a stunned matter.

"Looks like they won't be much help during this fight." Auron stated.

"That's alright with me. We can beat her without them." Tidus said confidently.

"Alright everyone… let's try this again." Sora said.

"Allow me to start it off." Ke'Ania smiled before readying herself.

She slammed allowed lightning to flow through her veins and to her fingers. When it was ready, she slammed them onto the ground and let them flow towards her. Yunalesca yelled in pain as the lightning continually shocked her.

"Allow me to hype up that effect." Lulu smirked before hurling water at her.

The unsent hulled louder as the pain from the lightning was intensified. This gave the others time to attack. Tidus ran to attack her first. With his speed, Tidus was able to slice Yunalesca on different sides. Auron was right behind him and made a long slice up the middle. Kimahri ran after Auron and used his staff to stab her repeatedly. Sora added fire to his Keyblade and used it to burn her while he made a long vertical slice on the center. Wakka and Goofy threw their weapons together and hit her in the face. Ke'Ania and Lulu let up on their attack. Yuna added lightning to Rikku's hand.

"Sora! Give me a lift!" Rikku shouted.

Sora nodded and bent down with his hands readied. When Rikku was ready, she ran towards Sora. When she was close enough, Rikku stepped onto his hand and allowed Sora to launch her into the air. She did a front flip and landed on top of her. Rikku moved Yunalesca's hands out o the way before slamming her fists down the woman's throat and letting the electricity shock her form the inside out. When Rikku felt that Yunalesca had enough, she removed her hand harshly and back flipped off of their opponent.

"Nice work." Auron smirked.

"If this doesn't work, I don't know what will." Rikku panted. Everyone watched as Yunalesca began to shake. "Yaya! We won!"

"I wouldn't cheer so soon." Auron announced.

They watched as she changed into something new and more horrid. "Give me a break."

"_**I WILL be your liberator!"**_ Yunalesca yelled before waving her hands.

The ground started to glow and soon giant, thick worms came up from the ground.

"And I thought she couldn't get any uglier." Ke'Ania groaned.

"Come on everyone! Don't give up!" Yuna encouraged.

"Don't worry. We don't plan to." Wakka smiled.

He gave his ball you Lulu, who covered it in a thick shell of ice, before spinning it around on his finger and kicking it to the worms. The ball hit all of them with great might, making them sink into the ground.

When the worms disappeared, everyone rushed at her. Ke'Ania jumped up and was ready to stab Yunalesca, but one of the worms reappeared, grabbed her by the ankle, and dragged her to the ground. The brunette groaned as she rose on her hands and feet. Her head was spinning lightly from when she hit it on the ground. She looked behind her and saw that one of the worms grabbed her.

"Let me go!" She yelled angrily before erecting her claws and slicing at the worm.

It screeched in pain for a moment until it collapsed on the ground and disappeared.

"Are you ok, Ke'Ania?" Goofy asked.

"I'm fine! Just keep attacking her! I'll deal with the worms!" Ke'Ania announced.

Everyone nodded and did as they were told. Ke'Ania erected her claws a little bit more and added some of her own power to her feet to increase her speed. She speed passed everyone and used her claws to slice each worm where it counts. When she went through each worm, she used her claws and feet to stop herself from sliding too far. Yunalesca only created more worms to replace the ones Ke'Ania killed. Sighing in annoyance, Ke'Ania readied herself for another assault on the worms.

While Ke'Ania was busy dealing with the worms, everyone else was working on Yunalesca. Sora and Tidus were avoiding and slicing at her tentacles that were trying to capture them. Most of Yunalesca's attention was focused on the two fast boys, giving the others time to attack her blind spot. Auron was making large slices along her torso. Kimahri used his spear to stab her. Donald made it rain ice crystals. Lulu threw her fireballs. Yuna used her water to make Donald's thicker and allowed them to have a harder effect. Goofy threw his shield and hit her in the face repeatedly. Wakka continued to throw his ice ball in her opened wounds from Auron and Kimahri. Rikku used her weapon to cause more wounds in her torso. Yunalesca hollered in pain from the many attacks that she was receiving. When everyone let up on their attack, Yunalesca's body hung slightly limply as she panted.

"Yuna! Give me some fire power!" Tidus commanded.

Yuna added all of her fire power to his blade. Tidus gave a mighty battle cry before rushing at Yunalesca. When he was close enough, he stabbed her in her torso and dragged it around, officially cutting her off from the lower half connecting her to the ground. Yunalesca gave one final cry before falling onto the ground in a huff.

"What have you done?" She panted. The tentacles that she used to battle them with retracted until she returned to her original form. "If I die, then so does the little hope anyone has at defeating Sin."

"We will find Spira a new ray of light, one that does not evolve false hope." Yuna said with determination.

"Fools. There is no other way. And even if you find another way, once you use an aeon, Yu Yevon will only use it to create a new Sin. Oh Lord Zaon. Please forgive me." Yunalesca said with horror in her voice as she disappeared.

"I can't believe we just killed Lady Yunalesca. Everything we've done so far has been un believable." Lulu spoke in amazement.

"Well then, when we defeat Sin your mind should be blown." Tidus smiled.

"How we gonna do that?" Wakka asked.

"We should speak with Maester Mika and tell him what we did. He might be able to help us." Yuna suggested.

"I don't like nor trust him." Ke'Ania grumbled with her arms crossed.

" I don't either, but he's the only thing we have to go one right now. He's our best start." Yuna stated. "Let's go." She said as she walked away.

"Fine. But, if anything happens, I want to be the one to send his unsent ass to the Farplane on a one-way trip." Ke'Ania smirked with yellow eyes

…

…

…

"Ummm, guys? I think we might have a problem." Donald said before running behind Goofy.

Both of them ran behind Sora's back.

"Sin is here? But why?" Yuna asked.

"He seems… calm… It's strange seeing him like this." Lulu commented.

"I think he's trying to tell us something." Auron said.

"Dad?" Tidus spoke loudly. Sin's head lowered slightly. "I know dad. The Final Aeon was a fake, but we got rid of Yunalesca and now no one has to do the Final Summoning ever again. We're going to set you free and defeat Sin for good. Don't you worry." Tidus called out.

Sin seemed to understand. The beast nodded his head before turning around and leaving.

"It's good to know that Jetch is in there somewhere still. It might make battling Sin a little easier." Auron smiled lightly.

"Hey look. Our ride is here." Rikku cheered while waving her arms around.

The airship flew towards them before landing on the destroyed ground of Zanarkand.

…

…

…

"What?! What do ya mean there was no Final Aeon?!" Cid yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Sorry, Old Man. But, the Final Aeon could only happen if Yuna sacrificed one of us to be her Final Aeon. We refused and ended up defeating Yunalesca. Now, our goal is to defeat Sin without using a Final Aeon and killing Sin for good." Tidus explained with his arms folded and while leaning against the wall.

"Well, I'm glad that you guys put an end to such a stupid tradition. So what's your next move?"

"We need you to take us to Bevelle. I need to speak with Maester Mika. Now that there is no Final Summoning, I thought that he might be able to give us some advice on where to go from here." Yuna informed.

"Anything you need Yuna, consider it done. Besides, I would never miss a chance to harass those know-it-all Yevonites." Cid laughed.

"Dad! You and Brother are only supposed to fly the airship and leave the harassing to us." Rikku sighed in slight annoyance.

"Awe. You're growing up to be just like your old man." Cid laughed as he hugged Rikku.

"Let go of me you old man! You're embarrassing!" Rikku yelled while trying to get free.

Everyone laughed except for Tidus. He looked around and noticed that Auron wasn't there. The blond left the room unnoticed and went to his and Auron's room where he found the older male.

"I thought I'd find you here." Tidus spoke, snapping Auron out of his thoughts.

"Stalking me now, are you?" Auron teased.

"You're funny." Tidus said with an eye roll before moving to sit next to Auron on his bed. "So why are you in here alone anyway?"

"Thinking. But now I'm done and in need to tell you something."

"What's that?" Tidus asked in curiosity.

"It's about what Jetch said before he became the Final Aeon and Sin." What Auron just said intrigued Tidus and caused the blond to listen to everything Auron had to say. "He asked me to take care of you. He said that he wanted me to find a way back to his Zanarkand and to take care of you."

"But, I thought there was no way back?"

"I thought the same thing, so what he asked of me was confusing. But, I found a way back. I rode Sin to Zanarkand."

This shocked Tidus and made him jump to his feet. "You what?!"

"Sit down and I'll tell you the story." Auron chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. Tidus nodded and did as he was told in order to hear the rest of the story. "After Braska and Jetch defeated Sin and everything went to hell, I returned to Zanarkand and confronted Lady Yunalesca. Her answers to my questions pissed me off, so I went to attack her… She ended up striking me down before leaving me to die. I was lying on the floor about to die when I suddenly remembered the promise I made to both you and Braska. You see, Braska asked me to take care of Yuna too, but I couldn't do both. Yuna was here and you were in the Dream Zanarkand. So, I crawled my way to Mt. Gagazet. There, I found Kimahri and asked him to take care of Yuna before I died. Once I was dead, Jetch found me. With his help, I was able to ride him back to Zanarkand where I took care of you until it was time to bring you to Spira. For you see, Sin is the gateway between your Zanarkand and Spira. That is the only way you are able to return to the life you once knew." Auron explained.

"So it is true. Once we get rid of Sin for good, my Zanarkand will disappear." Tidus said more to himself out loud.

"So you know?" Tidus nodded. "And you're not scared, worried, or frightened?"

"At first, yeah I would be. But now… I know that it needs to happen. In order to save Yuna, Spira, my father, and the dreaming Fayth, I need to destroy Sin once and for all." Tidus answered.

"You do realize that you will also disappear, right?" Auron asked.

"Yeah, I know. The Fayth told me. But, that still does not change my mind. Sure I would like to live a peaceful life with Yuna, but it means that she will be safe and can live to see her 18th birthday, then I won't worry about it. How she might react to it though… is another story." Tidus laughed nervously.

Auron smiled as he placed his hand on Tidus's shoulder. "You're pretty brave… for a cry baby." He chuckled.

"Yeah, you're really funny." Tidus smirked with a roll of his eyes.

Just then Ke'Ania opened their bedroom door. Come you guys. We're arriving at Bevelle." She said before leaving the room.

"Ready to save Spira, together?" Tidus asked with his bent arm in front of his face and a smirk.

"Lead the way." Auron smirked back as he hit Tidus's arm with his own.

Together, the two of them would make sure to see their stories to the very end.

…

…

…

**To Be Continued…**

…

**Next Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

The gang talk to Maester Mika, the Fayth, obtain the remaining aeons, and figure out their plan to save Spira and defeat Sin for good.


	34. Beginning of the End

**Warnings for This Chapter: **They come up a plan to defeat Sin

**Last Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

"What?! What do ya mean there was no Final Aeon?!" Cid yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Sorry, Old Man. But, the Final Aeon could only happen if Yuna sacrificed one of us to be her Final Aeon. We refused and ended up defeating Yunalesca. Now, our goal is to defeat Sin without using a Final Aeon and killing Sin for good." Tidus explained with his arms folded and while leaning against the wall.

"Well, I'm glad that you guys put an end to such a stupid tradition. So what's your next move?"

"We need you to take us to Bevelle. I need to speak with Maester Mika. Now that there is no Final Summoning, I thought that he might be able to give us some advice on where to go from here." Yuna informed.

"Anything you need Yuna, consider it done. Besides, I would never miss a chance to harass those know-it-all Yevonites." Cid laughed.

"Dad! You and Brother are only supposed to fly the airship and leave the harassing to us." Rikku sighed in slight annoyance.

"Awe. You're growing up to be just like your old man." Cid laughed as he hugged Rikku.

"Let go of me you old man! You're embarrassing!" Rikku yelled while trying to get free.

Everyone laughed except for Tidus. He looked around and noticed that Auron wasn't there. The blond left the room unnoticed and went to his and Auron's room where he found the older male.

"I thought I'd find you here." Tidus spoke, snapping Auron out of his thoughts.

"Stalking me now, are you?" Auron teased.

"You're funny." Tidus said with an eye roll before moving to sit next to Auron on his bed. "So why are you in here alone anyway?"

"Thinking. But now I'm done and in need to tell you something."

"What's that?" Tidus asked in curiosity.

"It's about what Jetch said before he became the Final Aeon and Sin." What Auron just said intrigued Tidus and caused the blond to listen to everything Auron had to say. "He asked me to take care of you. He said that he wanted me to find a way back to his Zanarkand and to take care of you."

"But, I thought there was no way back?"

"I thought the same thing, so what he asked of me was confusing. But, I found a way back. I rode Sin to Zanarkand."

This shocked Tidus and made him jump to his feet. "You what?!"

"Sit down and I'll tell you the story." Auron chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. Tidus nodded and did as he was told in order to hear the rest of the story. "After Braska and Jetch defeated Sin and everything went to hell, I returned to Zanarkand and confronted Lady Yunalesca. Her answers to my questions pissed me off, so I went to attack her… She ended up striking me down before leaving me to die. I was lying on the floor about to die when I suddenly remembered the promise I made to both you and Braska. You see, Braska asked me to take care of Yuna too, but I couldn't do both. Yuna was here and you were in the Dream Zanarkand. So, I crawled my way to Mt. Gagazet. There, I found Kimahri and asked him to take care of Yuna before I died. Once I was dead, Jetch found me. With his help, I was able to ride him back to Zanarkand where I took care of you until it was time to bring you to Spira. For you see, Sin is the gateway between your Zanarkand and Spira. That is the only way you are able to return to the life you once knew." Auron explained.

"So it is true. Once we get rid of Sin for good, my Zanarkand will disappear." Tidus said more to himself out loud.

"So you know?" Tidus nodded. "And you're not scared, worried, or frightened?"

"At first, yeah I would be. But now… I know that it needs to happen. In order to save Yuna, Spira, my father, and the dreaming Fayth, I need to destroy Sin once and for all." Tidus answered.

"You do realize that you will also disappear, right?" Auron asked.

"Yeah, I know. The Fayth told me. But, that still does not change my mind. Sure I would like to live a peaceful life with Yuna, but it means that she will be safe and can live to see her 18th birthday, then I won't worry about it. How she might react to it though… is another story." Tidus laughed nervously.

Auron smiled as he placed his hand on Tidus's shoulder. "You're pretty brave… for a cry baby." He chuckled.

"Yeah, you're really funny." Tidus smirked with a roll of his eyes.

Just then Ke'Ania opened their bedroom door. Come you guys. We're arriving at Bevelle." She said before leaving the room.

"Ready to save Spira, together?" Tidus asked with his bent arm in front of his face and a smirk.

"Lead the way." Auron smirked back as he hit Tidus's arm with his own.

Together, the two of them would make sure to see their stories to the very end.

**Onto Chapter 31 of **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

**Chapter 31: Beginning of the End**

**Normal P.O.V.**

Everyone stood silently in the bridge as Brother moved the airship to hover over Bevelle's Highbridge. "Alright kiddos, this is where you get off." Cid announced.

"Here? Can't you land this thing on the ground instead?" Tidus complained.

"The airship is too big to land close enough to the Highbridge, so I did what next best thing." Cid informed as he moved to a control panel. "As you all know, we're currently hovering over the Bevelle Highbridge with no way to land this airship. So, the only other way to get you eleven on the ground, safely, is by letting you slide onto the Highbridge by a line leading from the airship to the ground of the Highbridge. Great idea, right?"

"I don't know about great, but it does sound easier than walking." Sora smiled as he placed his laced hands behind his head.

"Glad you agree." Cid smiled before pressing a red button. "I just opened the hatch and unlashed the line that'll take you guy to the ground. Be safe while bargaining with that ancient Yevonite. Rikku will contact me when you guys are ready to be picked up. Good luck." Cid saluted.

The group nodded back in appreciation before turning to exit the airship. Once everyone slid down the line safely, they waved bye as the airship took off.

"Let's go." Yuna commanded, leading the way.

Everyone moved to follow her. But, when they were close enough to Bevelle's entrance, two guards stepped in their way and held them at gun point.

"Haul, infidels! You shall go no further!" One guard yelled.

"Not you guys again. I swear, don't you guys ever quit?" Wakka sighed in annoyance.

"Please, let us through. We must speak with Maester Mika." Yuna pleaded.

"None of you traitors shall past! You eleven will be gunned down where you stand!" The other guard yelled.

"I see these Yevon-idiots still haven't learned their lesson." Rikku smirked as she pulled out her weapon.

"Well I'm up for re-teaching the lesson… _**the hard way…**_" Ke'Ania smirked, with black and yellow eyes, while summoning her Keyblades.

"**STOP!"** A voice called.

Everyone lifted their heads to see Shelinda running towards them.

"Captain?" The guards gasped.

"You will not harm Lady Yuna. Please, lower your weapons." Shelinda commanded.

"But, Captain Shelinda. We were given orders to kill these traitors on sight." One on the guards argued.

"Lady Yuna and her guardians are not traitors. Maester Mika has told me that it was that was an evil rumor spread by the Al Bhed. Maester Mika said so himself."

"**WHAT?!"** Rikku yelled as he clenched her fists in anger.

Ke'Ania placed a hand on her Rikku's shoulder before moving to whisper in her ear. "Let's wait till she helps us before questioning it."

Rikku let Ke'Ania's words sink into her head. Once they did, she took deep breaths to calm down as she lowered her fists. "Fine." Ke'Ania while removing her hand and turning to face the scene.

"What are we to do?" One of the guards said to the other.

"Stand down, as I have said." Shelinda ordered. The guards hesitantly nodded their heads before moving to stand by the front door. "Are you guys alright?" She asked as she walked towards Yuna and her group.

"We're fine. Thank you. I did not want to fight them if it could've been avoided." Yuna bowed.

"Yeah, thanks for your help, but what was it you were saying about the Al Bhed spreading rumors about Yuna?" Rikku asked with irritation laced in her voice.

"I do not truly understand it myself. As of late, all of Yevon has been in a state of confusion. Why, just yesterday they called me out of the blue and made me Captain of the guards. It' s all very unsettling." Shelinda informed.

"What? Short on believers?" Auron chuckled lightly.

"Yes, actually. And it doesn't stop there. It seems as if the chaos in the temples are worst than it is here. I do not know what is going on nor what to do. No one is doing anything about it either. All the priests do is sit around blaming one another. It's horrible. I have never seen anything like it. I worry as to what will become of Yevon, but I must be the rock that stands when Yevon id crumbling. I must thank you Lady Yuna."

"Oh? For what exactly. I didn't do anything." Yuan questioned.

"For the courage you've displayed throughout your entire pilgrimage. I must say… it has inspired me truly." Shelinda smiled. Yuna bowed in a thanking manor.

"Um, guys. This is all good and dandy, but do you think you can take us to see Mika? We need to have a little _**talk **_with him." Tidus asked.

"Why yes. Of course, follow me." Shelinda said before turning around and leading the group into Bevelle

…

…

…

"Maester Mika? Lady Yuna and her guardians have requested an audience with you." Shelinda announced.

"Send them in." Mika ordered. Everyone filed into the room and waved goodbye to Shelinda before she left. "What is it that I can do for you all?"

"Maester Mika… we've come in need o your advice." Yuna started off.

"Advice? On what, my child."

"Wait a minute. Before we get to that, I have one question. Why are you blaming the Al Bhed for labeling Yunie as a traitor?" Rikku asked with her hands on her hips.

"It was the only way to regain some order among the believers. If I were to say that an Al Bhed has labeled Lady Yuna as a traitor, most would believe that." Mika answered calmly.

"Wow. Do you Yevonites ever choke on the amount of complete and utter bullshit that comes from your mouths?" Ke'Ania snorted in annoyance.

"So you lied to your followers for convince? How could you?" Lulu questioned in shock.

"9 out of 10 followers of Yevon have studied the teachings and are easily fooled when told certain pieces of information. Making it easy to quiet them when needed." Everyone gasped at Mika's explanation.

"Are you all completely insane? What kind of leader blames another race just to save themselves?" Sora seethed with anger.

"Why you miserable old bag of bones!" Rikku shouted as she lunged at him. But before she could reach him, Donald and Goofy were there to stop her. "She struggled against their hold for a few minutes until she settled down and moved her green eyes to glare at Mika. _**"You're going to regret your birth once I get my hands on you."**_

"Maester Mika, despite how disappointed I am with you and the teachings, I must still ask you for advice… about the Final Aeon."

"You have obtained the Final Aeon from Lady Yunalesca?"

"That's the thing we wanted to talk to you about. You see… we did meet her, but…" Yuna started.

"But we sent her packing on a one-way trip to the Farplane." Tidus finished.

"**WHAT?!"** Mika gasped in shock as he grabbed his chest.

"Summoners and guardians will be sacrificed for a useless and false tradition no more." Auron glared.

Mika's old eyes widen to an impossible size as he moved to grab the railing to keep him steady. "Fools! Do you realize, what you have done? You've taken away the only means known to man of calming Sin. No there is no hope for us."

"Are you running away? Grand Maester?" Auron teased with an eyebrow arched.

"Because of you… there is no hope for Spira and now destruction is inevitable. Now, no one can defeat our executioner. You have doomed us all." Mika said while holding his heaving chest.

"Maybe there's another way? I am sure we can work together to think of a new, permanent way?" Lulu suggested.

"No. No, there is no such thing. The Final Summoning was Spira's only hope. Now that it's gone… There's no stopping Sin. There will be no Calm. You have cursed all of Spira to be engulfed by the Spiral of Death. Because of you, Spira will die and I refuse to watch!" Mika shouted before sending himself to the Farplane.

"Damn him! How dare he disappear on us without even accepting our offer to help save Spira." Wakka growled.

"It's baffling." Lulu sighed heavily.

"Are you two still shocked by what these Yevonites have to say anymore?" Rikku asked as she dusted herself off once Goofy and Donald let her go.

"When you've believed in something your whole life, only to have it shatter right before your eyes, it is hard to take in so easily." Lulu explained.

"I will have to admit, I never believed in Yevon, even when Wakka was telling us about it, but it sounded like a nice religion for the people of Spira to believe in. But now, after seeing all of this… it's still a little unbelievable." Ke'Ania sighed with her arms crossed.

"Yeah well, when your race of people has been discriminated against for so long… this kind of behavior is almost expected." Rikku huffed.

"That sad fact aside, what do we do now? We still have to come up with a plan to stop Sin. Does anyone have an idea yet?" Sora asked.

"_**I might."**_ Everyone gasped and turned around to see Bahamut's Fayth floating before them. _**"Hi there."**_

"Who are you?" Wakka questioned with slight fear in his voice.

"_**I am the Fayth for the aeon Bahamut. I felt the Lady Yuna's distress and decided to come to her aid."**_

"You have a plan?" Auron asked suspiciously.

"_**Not a full proof one, but it's at least something to help you guys get started on your own plan."**_

"That's great!" Donald cheered.

"_**But, I cannot tell you here. It's not safe. Follow me to my room. There is where we can form a solid plan."**_

Everyone nodded before following Bahamut's Fayth to his chamber.

…

…

…

"So, what's this plan of yours?"Tidus asked.

"_**You are an eager one, so I will get right to the point. It has been a long time since your father became Sin, ten years to be exact. This makes me believe that our options for a plan are limited. So, the other Fayths and I have thought long and hard about this and have come up with something that you eleven may be able to work with. We believe that the Hymn is the key."**_

"The Hymn? How is that going to work? I thought the Hymn was to sooth the hearts of the faithful, and last time I checked… my old man wasn't all that faithful to Yevon." Tidus questioned.

"_**This is true, but one thing we observed while your father was in Dream Zanarkand was that he would constantly sing the Hymn, not knowing what it meant, where it came from, or what it was. He would just sing it and be at peace. He would even sing it before each Blitzball game. Now, it is true that ten years have passed since your father became Sin, but we are still slightly connected to him and know that the real Jetch is in there. If you can get it so that he will be able to hear the Hymn of the Fayth, then you might be able to slow him down."**_

Everyone took in what Bahamut's Fayth was saying before nodding in agreement.

"That sounds like a good plan." Rikku acknowledged.

"Yeah, but what about actually stopping Sin. Calming it down won't be enough to defeat it." Ke'Ania added.

"_**We didn't exactly get that far…"**_ The Fayth admitted shyly.

"Before we defeated Lady Yunalesca, she told us about Yu Yevon. He's the one who creates Sin, so our the next part of our plan has to defeating him and Sir Jetch." Yuna informed.

"Ok, so what do we know?" Wakka asked.

"We know that we can use the Hymn to slow Sin down." Lulu added.

"We also know that if we want to if we want to defeat Sin, then we'll have to go inside." Auron said with a light shrug.

"That's it!" Goofy cheered as he jumped up and down.

"What's it? Well don't hold out of us ya big palooka, did you think of something?" Donald asked with his hands on his hips.

"If we want to defeat Sin forever, then we have to defeat Yu Yevon, which is inside of Sin."

"But we know that already." Rikku said in confusion.

"Yeah and plus it's not like Sin is going to sit still while we enter him. I don't get it." Ke'Ania also said in confusion.

"If we can get find away to play the Hymn loud enough, then we can slow Sin down enough to fight the outside. Once we damage it enough to make it land somewhere, then we might be able to create an opening for us to enter Sin through. Once we're inside of Sin, we'll have to defeat Jetch first, but once that's over all we need to do is defeat Yu Yevon and that means that we can defeat Sin once and for all." Goofy smiled brightly while everyone, even the Fayth looked at Goofy in shock and amazement.

"That's… actually a really great plan…" Auron said, still stunned at Goofy's plan and not caring that his sunglasses were sliding down his nose.

"_**That's one smart talking dog."**_ The Fayth smiled.

"That is a great plan, but there's still one problem… Lady Yunalesca told us that Yu Yevon combines with aeons to create the new Sin. How are we supposed to fight our ultimate enemy without you guys?" Lulu asked with worry in her voice.

"_**It is true that Yu Yevon does create the ne Sin out of aeons that go against it, but that's not all there is to it. You see, once a summoner fights Sin with the Final Aeon, the Final Aeon kills the summoner, as you all know. Once that happens, Yu Yevon comes and takes over the Final Aeon so that he can create a new Sin. But the reason for that is because when a summoner fights Sin, they only use their Final Aeon to defeat the previous Final Aeon and not Yu Yevon himself. For centuries, people have believed that defeating Sin meant defeating the previous Final Aeon that became Sin. On one ever thought to defeat Yu Yevon until now."**_

"So what you're telling me is that I can still use the aeons as long as we make sure to defeat Yu Yevon along with Sir Jetch?"

"_**That is correct, Yuna. Your swords and magic are not strong enough to defeat Sin, Jetch, and Yu Yevon on their own. You must use us, Yuna. Promise me that you'll use us in the fight against Sin."**_

Yuna nodded at the Fayth's request with a smile. "I can't do it without you guys."

"_**I'm glad to hear to hear you say that."**_ The Fayth smiled back before turning to Tidus with a sad expression. _**"But, you know that once you truly defeat Yu Yevon, Jetch, and Sin… we Fayth will awaken and the dreaming will stop… don't you?"**_

"I know." Tidus sighed with his eyes closed. "But, I'm grateful for everything that you've done and for continuing to help us. I don't mind that you'll stop dreaming. You've been dreaming for too long anyway." That dirty blond guardian said with a sad smile.

"_**Yes. We've been dreaming for too long. We're so very tired. Please… help us wake up."**_

"I promise." Tidus nodded.

The Fayth nodded before turning to the rest of the group. _**"I wish you luck on your journey, but might I suggest your first move. Yuna, you still have two aeons left to obtain. I suggest that you retrieve them first and while you're at it, be sure to talk to all the Fayth. They would like to offer some advice before to take on Sin."**_

"I will be sure to do that. Thank you for all your help and the advice." Yuna bowed in appreciation.

"_**Good luck. You are all brave soldiers in this fight for Spira. And we Fayth will be here to protect and guide you the whole way through. Please Yuna, call on us whenever you need to. We'll be waiting for your summoning."**_ And with that, Bahamut's Fayth disappeared before their eyes.

"What was that all about?" Lulu asked curiously.

"Huh?" Tidus looked at her with a confused look.

"That stuff he was saying about the Fayth dreaming and what you were saying back to him about you being grateful? Is there something you're not telling us?" Lulu questioned again.

"It's a long story and I cannot say it right now. It's… something I'll have to tell you guys later…" Tidus turned to leave, but the suspicious face Yuna was making stopped him. "Don't make that face. We're about to defeat Sin permanently and save Spira and you forever. You should be happy." He smiled with his hand cupping her cheek.

"You're hiding something… aren't you?" She asked without her face moving.

Tidus's smile disappeared as he slowly removed his hand from her face. "I'm not hiding anything. He said turning away from her.

"Really?" She pushed.

Tidus's shoulders tensed slightly, but noticeably. "Promise. Now come on. We have to get this plan underway."

No one said a word as they followed Tidus out of the chamber. Yuna was the last one to leave, but before she did, she sighed sadly and deeply. "You're a terrible liar."

…

…

…

"So? What did that old bag of bones say?" Cid asked once everyone was in the bridge.

"Nothing. We told him that Yunalesca was gone, he got scared and sent himself to the Farplane. The best decision he's ever made, if ya ask me." Rikku huffed with her arms crossed, purposely leaving out the fact that Mika blamed them for calling Yuna a traitor in hopes of keeping him a little calmer.

"Figures. Can't rely on those Yevon scumbags for anything except lies. So, what's next kiddos?" Cid asked with his arms crossed.

"The Fayth and Goofy helped us come up with a plan to finally defeat. We're going to use the Hymn of the Fayth to calm Sin down before damaging it enough to create an opening to enter it. Once inside, we're going to fight Sir Jetch, the current Sin, and Yu Yevon himself. Once we do that, Sin will be gone for good and I'll be able to perform the sending. But first, we're supposed to get the last two aeons and talk with all the Fayth before taking Sin on. I want to get that done today, so come tomorrow… we'll take down Sin for good." Yuna explained with determination in her voice.

"Sounds mighty good to me. Just tell me where to go and I'll take you there." Cid smiled.

"Well first we have to figure out which two aeons I'm missing." Yuna informed.

"Well there's the aeon sisters Belgemine is guarding and Anima, the aeon Seymour could summon. That's in Baaj Temple." Rikku said.

"Baaj Temple? Where's that?" Tidus asked.

"It's by Bikanel Island. It's the temple we found you in." Rikku answered.

"Well that solves that, so let's go." Sora cheered.

"Wait a second. There's something I have to show you guys." Ke'Ania said before running to her room. When she returned there were three jewels in her hand. "I found these during our journey, but forgot to give them to you guys. They're the jewels Belgemine was talking about." She lifted a yellow Sun Crest and a Mars Sigil into the air, making Tidus and Auron move to grab them. "I found those after we defeated Lady Yunalesca. This one…" She held up a Saturn Sigil. "I found after we defeated Seymour. I figured they belonged to you." She smiled as she handed the jewel to Kimahri.

"Thank you… Kimahri will use it wisely…" The Ronso smiled.

Auron and Tidus said their thank yous before they added their jewels to their weapons.

"Well since we're passing out fancy jewels." Cid started as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a Mercury Crest and Sigil. "I want you to have these, Rikku."

"You had the jewels that go to my weapon? But how?" Rikku asked as she took them.

"I never told you the story behind your weapon, but I think you're old enough to hear the story." Cid took a deep breath before speaking. "Originally… what weapon was your Mother's. Before she died, she said that if anything were to happen to her to give you her weapon and the jewels that go with it. I still don't know why she wanted me to give these to you, but she said that when I finally did give them to you… you'd understand what to do with them."

Rikku looked down at the jewels with a bright smile and light, happy tears in her eyes before hugging her father's middle. "Thanks. I promise that I'll make you two proud."

Cid smiled as he hugged her back. "I know you will. You always do."

Lulu stared at the scene with a sad smile as memories of her and Chappu came flooding back. That's when she remembered that she had a jewel to give Wakka. "Here Wakka. This is for you." She turned to the red headed man with a light smile and a Jupiter Sigil.

"You had this all along?" Wakka asked.

"Yes, it was Chappu's. He didn't know what it was for, so he was going to use it to make the jewel for my wedding ring. But, I want to give it to you instead. You'll get more use out of it than I will."

Wakka took his fingers and covered them over hers while shaking his head. "I can't accept this. This is the last thing you have to remember him by. That memory is worth more than helping me. I will help you guys win without it. You keep it."

Lulu only shook her head as she placed her hand over his and placed the sigil in Wakka's grasp. "I no longer have the desire to keep this. It is true that this is the last material object I have of his, but I don't need it. I have Chappu in my memories… it's better for me to have him in my memories, that way… he'll never truly be gone." She smiled sadly.

"Lu…" Wakka whispered.

"Besides… Chappu would want you to use it, especially in a fight to defeat Sin permanently. After all… you won't be able to survive without it." Lulu teased before turning around.

Lulu spoke the truth about how she prefers to keep Chappu in her memories. Chappu has been gone and, although she truly loved him, there was no use of her continuing to mourn over him. She knew that he wouldn't want her to. He would want her to move on when she was ready. There is nothing more he can do for her. So now… its time she found a new source of happiness.

Lulu felt her heart jump in her chest when Wakka wrapped his arms around her from the back and buried his face in her raven braids. "Thank you, Lulu."

Lulu smiled truly for the first time as she placed her hands over his and leaned into him. "You're welcome."

The black mage closed her eyes in true bliss. _"Chappu… I believe that… I have finally found a new source of happiness. I just hope you're happy for me in the Farplane."_

Forcing his head away from the scene, Auron reached into his pocket and pulled out a Saturn Crest to give to Kimahri. "Here, old friend. I meant to give this to you after I asked you to watch over Yuna. But, I died before I was able to do so. But, I feel like nows the right time."

Kimahri took it with a nod before placing both of his jewels into the two slots in his blade. "Kimahri thanks Auron for the Saturn Crest. Kimahri will guard Yuna better with Saturn Crest and Sigil attached to Kimahri's spear."

"Um guys? I don't really know how to read this, so where are we?" Sora asked, breaking the calm and content atmosphere.

Everyone broke away from their own little worlds to see what Sora was talking about. They walked over to the map and saw a drowned island on the map. "Yahoo! We found Baaj Temple!" Cid cheered before ordering Brother to take them in closer.

…

…

…

The ship was lowered enough for the group to walk off the airship and onto the ground. "Be careful you guys. You never know what could be down there." Cid warned.

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll be back up before you know it." Rikku smiled.

Cid nodded before turning to enter the ship. Everyone watched as the hatch moved to reconnect to the ship.

"So, we ready?" Tidus asked.

"You said that this is where you first arrived when you came to Spira, correct? What can you tell us about this temple from your personal experiences?" Lulu questioned.

"Well, I don't know much. I do know that when I first arrived, there was a boney giant fish fiend that tried to eat me. I don't know if it's still down there, so we'll have to be careful. And, if I remember correctly, then we must also watch or step. This place isn't the most structurally sound place." Tidus answered with his arms crossed.

"Wait. You mean the Baaj temple is underwater?" Yuna said in shock.

"Yes. This place was once a great island city. But after Sin attacked it, the city and temple was left to nothing but ruins and ended up sinking into the water surrounding it. That was about ten years ago. Around the beginning of Lord Braska's Calm and when Seymour became a priest among the Guado. Here, in Baaj Temple, it is said that the aeon Seymour could summon, Anima, can be found within this temple." Lulu explained.

"But, what is Seymour's connection to this place? Could it be because his of Anima? Or is it something deeper?" Ke'Ania said curiously while thinking.

"The only way to find out is to ask the Fayth ourselves." Wakka stated.

"Stand still everyone. I will cast a spell to let us breath under water." Yuna ordered. She waved her staff and casted a water breathing spell. "Be careful everyone."

The whole group nodded before jumping into the water. They followed Tidus and Rikku to the entrance of the temple, but stopped when they heard a noise. All of them turned around and saw a growling Geosgaeno.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Ke'Ania yelled with het Keyblades in her hands.

"That's the monster when I first arrived. I figured it would still be here." Tidus informed them with his sword in his hand.

"Well, how about we put it down for good." Wakka smirked with his ball in his hand.

Lulu waved her hand and added lightning to everyone's weapon. The fiend gave a loud growl before rushing at them. It raised a large fin and tried to hit Rikku, but the blond moved out of the way. Sora came up on its side and slashed at it. The fiend opened its mouth and created a whirlpool. Ke'Ania was beginning drawn in. Sora saw this and moved to grab her hand. But before he could get to her, Ke'Ania was already being sucked in. When she was inside of the fiend's stomach, it closed its mouth.

"Ke'Ania?! Are you ok?" Donald asked.

"I'm fine, but it won't be when I get out of here!" The long haired girl growled.

"Just hang on. We'll get you out." Goofy said as he swam towards the fiend.

He used his shield to slice at its ribcage, but stopped when Ke'Ania shouted in pain. "That hurts."

"I'm sorry."

"Wait, Ke'Ania can feel everything that the monster feels? Then how are we supposed to attack it?" Sora asked in panic.

"Just hold on you guys. I'm going to force my way out. And when I do, someone needs to be there to slice this creature in half." Ke'Ania ordered.

"I'll do it." Tidus volunteered.

Ke'Ania nodded before dismissing her Keyblades. "Alright you over grown salmon. I'm going to make this a painful as I can." She erects her claws. Once they were as sharp and as long she wanted them to be, Ke'Ania latched onto its ribcage and used them to climb to the top of the fiend's throat. She used her claws to harshly slash at its throat. The fiend gagged and thrashed at the treatment. Within a few more moments, Ke'Ania burst through its mouth with as much force as she could. "Now Tidus!"

"On it!" The dirty blond rushed at the fiend. When he got close enough, Tidus added some power to his sword and made a clean cut down its center. The fiend screamed before it turned into Pyreflies and disappeared.

"Are you alright?" Yuna asked as she swam over to Ke'Ania.

"I'm fine, but I don't want to ever be swallowed by anything EVER again."

"With that done, let's continue." Lulu suggested.

The group swam towards the opening and made it inside with nothing getting in their way.

…

…

…

"What is this?" Yuna asked while the rest of the group filed into a room with six statues and a seal in front of the Chamber of the Fayth.

"This is technically the Closter of Trails. The reason behind gathering all of the treasures from the other temples is so when a summoner and their guardians come to this temple, they have to give place them in front of these statues to unseal the chamber. The only trick is to figure out which treasure goes with which statue." Auron explained.

"So, you're saying that we have to put the treasure we got from each temple with the statue built for that temple?" Donald questioned.

"Basically." Auron shrugged.

"How do we do that?" Goofy asked curiously.

"Hey look, guys. There are symbols on each of these spheres in front of the statues. All we have to do is match each gift with each aeon's symbol." Ke'Ania cheered.

"That's great, except one problem… Who remembers which symbol goes with which aeon?" Sora asked.

"I do. It is a summoner's job to memorize which symbol belongs to which temple and aeon. I'll place the treasures where they need to go." Yuna said as she pulled out the treasures. She moved to place the first treasure in front of the first statue and continued until all the statues had their treasures. "That should do it."

Once she stood up, one by one, the statues began to glow with their aeon's symbol before the seal on the chamber was broken. "Way to go, Yunie!" Rikku cheered.

"Let us go." Yuna ordered.

Everyone moved to follow behind her into the Chamber of the Fayth.

…

…

…

Yuna moved to sit and pray before the Fayth. Soon, a woman's voice could be heard singing the Hymn of the Fayth before a woman wearing a long blue dress appeared.

"I welcome you Summoner Yuna to the Baaj Temple." The woman spoke.

Yuna took a long hard look at the female Fayth. "Are you… Seymour's mother?"

The Fayth nodded. "I am. I'm glad that you know who I am, but I did not expect you to still call on me for aid against Sin… knowing who my son is and what he has become."

"I need your help to not only defeat Sin, but to also stop your son. My guardians and I have fought and defeated Seymour on a number of occasions, but I fear that he is not deceased yet." Yuna explained.

"If you hate my son… then you are in the right. I know what my son has done. I have seen the villain he has become. Deceiving, wanting to become Sin, wanting to save Spira by destroying it, and being in an alliance with the Darkness. These are just a few crimes that he has committed. But I must ask. If you do hate my son, then you should hate me as well. For you see… it was me that made him what he is today."

"What do you mean? How is it your fault for the way Seymour is?" Wakka asked.

"Ever since Seymour was born, he has been alone. He was not accepted by neither Guado nor Human. Normally, the Guado are very tolerable of other races, especially humans, but the 'tainted' blood running through our son's veins almost caused a rebellion. In order to protect Seymour and me, Jyscal had to move us to this temple. Back when this temple used to be a glorious structure, Seymour grew to love living here. Here, he was not subjected to racism or cruelty. He was happy here. Knowing this, I decided to become a Fayth. Not only was the previous Fayth fading, I also did it to give him some power and the ability to live independently. But, when I gave him power to taste, he craved more. He wanted more power to get revenge on the people who discriminated against him. I became a Fayth so that he could use my power whenever he needed to. But, that was before he plotted against the people of Spira. Before he turned to the ultimate power he could have." She informed.

"You mean Sin?" Donald questioned.

"Yes. He wants to seek out Sin and use its power to destroy Spira. Please, use my power to defeat Sin, my son's obsession with it, and my son. Please… save him from himself, Summoner Yuna."

Yuna looked at the pleading woman with said eyes. "I will. I promise." Yuna nodded.

"Thank you. I wish you and your guardians the best of luck." Seymour's mother smiled before fusing with Yuna, giving her the power to control Anima.

"Let us go. We must go obtain the last three aeons and speak with the rest of the Fayth before tomorrow." The summoner ordered.

The group nodded and wordlessly followed Yuna back to the airship.

…

…

…

The airship came to land in front of the temple and the group of eleven walked off of it and into the temple. Once inside, Belgemine stood, waiting for them.

"Ah, Summoner Yuna and guardians. It's good to see you again. You eyes have told me that you've been through more adventures since the last time I've seen you. That's good. You all have more experience under your belt. How's the plan to defeat Sin coming? Did you find out about the Final Aeon?" She asked.

"Yes. We have and we now have a new way to defeat it. Tomorrow morning is when the plan will be executed." Yuna answered.

"I'm glad to hear that. So, knowing this… you must be ready to finally obtain the aeons I am guarding, correct?" Yuna nodded. "Good. To test how worthy you are, I will summon all of my aeons and they will battle one of your aeons. If your aeon can stand up against all of mine, then you will receive not only the Crystal Mirror, but also the Flower Scepter. If you have these two in your possession, then you will not only be able to talk to the three Fayth in the chamber but you will be able to upgrade your weapons when all of you obtain their jewels. To sweeten the deal further, I will also hand over the Moon Sigil needed for you to upgrade your staff. All of this will be yours… That is… IF you can beat me." Belgemine smirked.

"I am ready." Yuna said with determination burning in her eyes.

"Very well. I shall summon first." Belgemine began summoning all of her aeons. Soon, her Valfor, Ifrit, Ixion, Shiva, Bahamut, and Yojimbo appeared before her. "Now… choose your aeon."

Yuna nodded before throwing her arms out and three spheres flew up. Yuna then threw her hand into the air, causing a black, red and yellow cloud to form. By doing that, an anchor appeared out of the cloud and dug into the ground. The chain rattled as it pulled Anima up from the ground before removing the hook from under its chin. Upon its arrival, Anima gave a mighty roar.

"So you choose Seymour Mother's aeon? Good choice, but let's see how great of a choice it really is. My aeons, attack Summoner Yuna."

The aeons moved at once and ran alongside each other to slash at its torso. Anima hissed in pain.

"You can do it." Yuna cheered with one hand on her aeon.

Anima looked at Yuna before turning back to the five aeons before it. Slowly, Anima turned to the side and shot its Pain attack at Yojimbo. The attack hit and caused Yojimbo to disappear in Pyreflies. Bahamut his impulse, Shiva shot ice crystals, Ixion let his lightning explode, and Ifrit fired a fireball. Anima shot Pain out of its eye and quickly eliminated each aeon one at a time. Soon, there was only Bahamut left. The flying aeon flew towards Anima and sliced at it again. Anima used Pain, but missed.

"Anima… use Oblivion and end this now." Yuna asked.

The aeon nodded before turning towards Bahamut. With a final roar, Anima's auras wrapped around Bahamut before making it sink into the ground. The aura engulfed the both of them as the bottom half of Anima's body roared and removed its chains. Bahamut's body shook with each blow Anima delivered before roaring and unleashed a powerful energy.

By the end of the attack, Bahamut had fallen to the ground as his body disappeared into Pyreflies.

"Stop. You have passed." Belgemine stated.

"You did it! Great Job, Anima!" Yuna cheered.

The aeon nodded one last time before being dismissed.

"I'm proud of you, Yuna. You have bested me. You have also proven to me that you have what it takes to defeat Sin permanently. I wish you the best of luck and am happy to hand over these" She smiled as he handed Yuna the Flower Scepter, Crystal Mirror, and Moon Sigil. "I wish you safe travels and good luck with Sin tomorrow. But, before you go. May I ask you one favor?"

"What is it?" Yuna asked innocently.

"Can you send me? I've roamed around Spira long enough. I do not need to remain here any longer since Sin will be defeated."

"How do you know we won't fail? You seem awfully sure that we'll succeed." Ke'Ania teased.

"It's because I have seen what you lot can do. If you cannot defeat Sin, then no one can. But, I know that all of you will succeed without question. I will be watching from the Farplane. I wish you the best. Yuna if you please."

Yuna bowed before moving to begin the sending. Everyone watched as the former summoner finally disappeared. Once she was gone, Yuna went to the sealed door, touched the two objects together, and led everyone to the Chamber of the Fayth.

…

…

…

Yuna began to pray, awaking the three female Fayth within the chamber.

"Summoner Yuna, you have proven yourself. So, we offer our strength to you so that you can defeat Sin. Just promise us that you'll use us." One of the Fayth said.

"I promise." Yuna bowed.

"Good. Now, you will receive our power."

The aeons moved to fuse with Yuna. Once that was over, Yuna turned to her guardians. "Let's go meet with Yojimbo's Fayth. Rikku, ask Uncle Cid to meet us by the cave."

"You got it." Rikku smiled. She put the radio to her lips and gave the instructions to her father. "He said that's fine."

"Good. Let's go, everyone." Yuna ordered.

…

…

…

The group made it to the Fayth with no trouble. Now, they stood in front of the Fayth's statue.

"Fayth of Yojimbo. Please come out." Yuna pleaded.

The Fayth and his dog appeared above the statue. "Yes, what can I do for you, Summoner Yuna?"

"I need your strength~"

"To defeat Sin, correct?" The Fayth finished. Yuna nodded. "Summoner Yuna, when you came to me the first time, I gave you my strength to defeat your most powerful enemies, but Sin has more power than anyone you'll ever face. So, I offer you the maximum amount of strength I can give you. I trust that you will use me in the fight against it and I will be there to lend to you whenever you need it." The male Fayth nodded while his dog barked.

"Thank you for assisting me. Now, we must go and visit the other Fayth." Yuna bowed in respect.

The group turned to leave, but stopped when they heard someone speak. "Wait." The Fayth called. "You, black mage."

"Yes?" Lulu said as she turned around.

"You were the former guardian of Lady Ginnem, were you not?"

"Yes. She used to be my summoner, but when we met her in this cave she was no longer the summoner I used to know… She was no longer the friend I used to have. So, we had to defeat her, to save her from herself." Lulu informed.

"I know that. That is why I want to give you this." Yojimbo's Fayth pulled out a Venus Sigil and held it out. "Lady Ginnem has protected me since her death in this cave, so I want to give this to you. Use this to save Spira like you saved your friend from herself."

Lulu's red eyes widen as she slowly moved to accept the sigil. "Thank you, Fayth. I will use this to protect Spira and my friends."

Fayth smiled and disappeared while Lulu put the jewel in the torso of her doll. Yuna smiled with her hand on Lulu's shoulder before the group left to head to the airship.

…

…

…

"Now where to?" Cid asked.

"We go to Besaid. The Fayth await us." Auron stated calmly.

"You got it." Cid nodded before turning to give Brother the next destination.

"Sir Auron, may I have a word with you?" Rin questioned.

"Sure." Auron nodded and followed Rin to his room. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I overheard you and the rest of the group talking about these jewels." Rin started as he held out a Mars Crest.

"Where did you get that?" Auron gasped lightly while taking it.

"Do you remember when I found you on the brink of death and I treated your wounds?" Auron nodded. "Well, the day after you left, I found this jewel hidden under the bed in the room you were staying in. Figuring it was yours, I kept it safe with me until I could find you again. But, when I hadn't found you in the past ten years, I just decided to hold onto it. As the years passed, I actually forgot about it. Seeing you on the Mi'ihen High Road reminded me of the treasure I was holding for you. So, I asked Cid to take me to one of my inns to retrieve the jewel. And now that I have found you, I would like to give it to you. It is what you will need to defeat Sin with Lady Yuna and the rest of your friends tomorrow, correct?"

"Yes. Thank you, Rin. I guess I can count on you to help me out." Auron smirked as he placed the Mars Crest into his blade.

"I wish you and your party the best of luck in your battle tomorrow." Rin bowed. Auron nodded. "Well, we better be getting back. We'll be landing in Besaid soon."

…

…

…

Airship landed on the beach. The first thing Lulu, Wakka, and Yuna did when they stepped off the ship was smell the ocean's familiar and missed scent.

"I really missed this place." Yuna sighed with a smile.

"I feel like we'll be here for a while." Sora laughed.

"Hopefully not too long." Wakka chuckled.

"Well, just in case we are, how about we put the first part of our plan into action." Rikku winked before running to talk to Cid. Rikku only returned to the group after the airship flew off.

"Where is the airship going? And what do you mean put the first part of our plan into action? I thought we weren't starting until tomorrow?" Ke'Ania asked in confusion.

"Well, while we were on the airship, I figured out a way to get the Hymn of the Fayth loud enough for Sin to hear. In order for Sin to hear the Hymn it has to be extremely loud, right?" Everyone nodded at her logic. "Well, what better way than to get everyone in Spira to sing it together, loud and proud!" The blond Al Bhed cheered.

"That's a great idea, Rikku!" Goofy cheered right along with her.

"Yeah, why didn't I think of it?" Donald thought.

"It's because you're not as awesome as me." Rikku giggled.

"That's a good plan but that doesn't explain where the airship is flying off to." Auron added.

"Well, if we want to get the word out there, then we're going to need some help. So, I asked my father to send all of the Al Bhed to different parts of Spira to tell as many people as they can to sing the Hymn of the Fayth when we play it out of the Airship's speakers. If everyone sings it, then there's _**NO WAY**_ Sin could miss it!" The girl jumped up and down in excitement.

"Hn. I must say, that is one heck of an idea. Good job." Auron smirked.

"Why thank you." Rikku nodded.

"So, what do you need us to do?" Tidus asked.

"Well, since we're already here and since we have to go to Macalania Woods to upgrade our weapons later, we'll cover all of Besaid and Bevelle. The Al Bhed on the airship will cover the rest of Spira. Yuna doesn't need all of us to go into the chamber to speak to the Fayth, so while she, Tidus, and Kimahri speak with Valfor's Fayth, the eight of us will spread the word in Besaid." Rikku suggested.

"That's fine with me." Lulu nodded along with the rest of the group.

"Great, then let's get started." Rikku smiled brightly.

…

…

…

When they arrived, some people came up to Yuna and the gang to say 'hi' while others went about their day.

"Tidus, Kimahri, and I will go speak with the Fayth. Good luck with spreading the word." Yuna bowed.

"Don't worry, Yunie. You can count on us. We won't let you down." Rikku smiled. She waited until the three of them were out of sight before turning to the rest of the group. "Alright you guys, since there's only eight of us, let's pair off in groups of twos and spread out. The island isn't that big, so if there are two of us in each, then we'll be able to cover the island much faster." Rikku hypothesized.

"Fine with me. Sora and I will be a group." Ke'Ania stated while moving to stand next to him, causing to blush lightly.

"Donald and I will be a group!" Goofy smiled as he picked Donald up and help him to his right side.

"Hey! Put me down!" Donald squawked.

"Lu and I will cover the majority of the village." Wakka volunteered.

"I guess that leaves you and me, Rikku." Auron said as he moved to stand in front of the young girl.

"Just try not to scare the villagers we tell." Rikku smirked with her hands on her hips.

"I think they'll be more scared of your ADHD, then me." Auron teased before moving to get start their duty.

"Hey! What is that supposed to mean?!" The girl yelled as she chased him.

Everyone else shook their head as they moved to get to work. Lulu was about to head towards the lounge until Wakka's hand stopped her.

"Before we get started, there's something I need to give to you." Wakka said. Lulu was about to say something, but Wakka cut her off. "It can't wait."

Lulu nodded and followed Wakka to his hut. Wakka searched around for a little bit while Lulu sat on his couch. She sat there with a bored expression. After watching Wakka search for five minutes, she gave a heavy sigh.

"You know, Wakka. Yuna and the others will be finished talking with the Fayth soon and we haven't started our duty yet. Whatever you want to show me, you can show me later~"

"Found it!" Wakka cheered in victory before moving to sit next to her on the couch. "Here Lulu. I want you to have this." The orange haired man said as he handed her a box.

Lulu took the box and opened it. Inside was a Venus Crest, but there was something familiar about the jewel. Lulu took it out, held it up, and examined it carefully before hurrying to put it back in the box and give it to Wakka.

"Are you off your rocker? I can't accept it. That's your most prized possession. You said it yourself, that was the last gift you received from your parents before they died. How could you think I would take something like that with no problem?" Lulu said in a nervous voice and with panic in her voice.

Wakka chuckled at her reaction before standing up and placing the jewel in her hand. "That maybe true, but you said it yourself… _'It's better to have them in my memory then have them remembered through a materialistic object'_ or something like that. Look Lu. You and I are entrusted with protecting Yuna and the rest of our friends. How are you going to do that if you don't have this to increase your doll's and your strength?"

"Yeah, but…" Lulu turned her gaze to the floor, but Wakka used his finger to lift her gaze to his soft one.

"I have my parents and Chappu in my memory and in my heart, just like you. I don't need this jewel to keep their memory alive. And besides, I'll feel safer knowing that your using this to protect yourself instead of it sitting in a box." Wakka smiled as he put the jewel into Lulu's doll before handing it back to her. He moved to give it to her as he kissed her forehead, causing the black mage to blush heavily. "Now, do us all proud and use this to protect yourself and everyone around you."

With that Wakka moved aside and was about to walk out of his hut until he felt Lulu's arms wrap around his waist from behind him, causing him to blush as well.

"Um… Lu~"

"Just… let this moment last… just a little bit longer." She whispered.

Wakka nodded before leading her over to his couch. He pulled her into his lap once he was seated comfortably. He wrapped her tightly in his arms tightly while resting his chin on her head. Lulu sighed lightly as she rested her head against his chest and used her hands to grip the front of his overalls. They stayed like this for a while, completely forgetting about their obligation to Rikku.

…

…

…

Tidus, Yuna, and Kimahri had just step off the elevator inside the temple and were on their way to the chamber. Together, the group of three walked up to the stairs before entering the chamber. When they walked in, Valfor's Fayth appeared before them.

"Fayth of Valfor, I must ask you to assist me in the fight against Sin tomorrow, will you assist me?" Yuna asked.

"Yes, Lady Yuna. I am here you guide and protect you during your battle with Sin. Call upon my strength when needed and I'll be serving at your side faithfully." The Fayth nodded.

"Thank you, for everything." Yuna bowed in respect.

"No. Thank you. It's because of your challenge against Sin tomorrow that we'll finally be able to stop dreaming."

"Dreaming?" Yuna questioned.

"The answers will come to you in due time." That Fayth said, looking at Tidus before looking back at Yuna. "But, for now, I offer this Moon Crest to you in great faith for your victory over Sin tomorrow." Yuna accepted the jewel and placed it in her staff before turning to leave. "Good luck to you and your guardians. I know that you'll prevail over the ultimate power of Sin like no one else before you."

Having said that, Valfor's Fayth disappeared and Yuna, Tidus, Kimahri moved to exit the temple.

…

…

…

"I spoke with the aeon and received my Moon Crest. How did you guys fair with telling the villagers about the Hymn?" Yuna asked.

"It went great! Everyone here has agreed to sing for us!" Ke'Ania, Goofy, and Rikku cheered together.

"That's awesome. And with the Al Bhed helping us, tomorrow will go a lot smoother." Tidus smile.

"Kimahri likes plan to defeat Sin." He smiled with his arms crossed.

"Let's go. We still have more temples to cover and our weapons to upgrade." Auron ordered.

That group turned to leave, but stopped when the Besaid Aurochs called out to them.

"Lady Yuna! We heard that you were going to put an end to Sin once and for all. That's so cool." Datto cheered.

"We wanted to wish you good luck and will make sure that all of Besaid sings the Hymn tomorrow." Letty smiled, giving a thumbs up.

"Thank you, all of you. I'm glad to have so much support from you guys." Yuna bowed in appreciation.

"It's no problem. We're like family, ya. We're always going to have your back, Little Sister Yuna." Jassu laughed, causing Yuna to blush at her old nickname they gave her when she was younger.

"You guys better behave yourselves. I don't want no trouble while I'm gone." Wakka chuckled, using his commanding voice.

"Us? Trouble? Doesn't belong in the same sentence." Everyone laughed at Botta's joke.

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever you say. Come on, you guys. We still have a lot of work to do." Wakka ordered, turning his back to the Aurochs.

"Wakka wait." Keepa called out, causing their former captain to turn around. "Before you leave… we wanted to give you this." He pulled out a shinny jewel.

"Wakka, it's your last jewel. It's the Jupiter Crest." Lulu gasped.

"What are you guys doing with this?" Wakka asked as he took the jewel from Keepa.

"We found it one day while practicing. We wanted to give it to you when you as a retirement present, but we didn't know you were going to suddenly retire on us while we were in Luca. By then we had left the jewel here and couldn't give it to you." Jassu explained.

"And when we heard you were in town, we rushed to find it. We wanted to give it to you for good luck. Even if you can't use it, we want you to have it for good luck." Datto informed with a smile.

Wakka nodded before taking the jewel and adding it to his ball. "Thanks guys. I really appreciate it."

"Now get out there~" Letty started.

"**AND KICK SIN'S ASS!"** The rest of the Aurochs cheered.

"You got it." Wakka smiled brightly.

The Aurochs watched as Yuna and her guardians disappeared from the village with bright smiles on their faces.

…

…

…

The airship dropped them off at the Kilika Temple before flying to pick up the Al Bhed within the town. The group made it through the temple and to the chamber with no problem. When the group walked into the temple, Ifrit's Fayth was waiting for them.

"Summoner Yuna, the flames of determination and passion burn hotter than my enchanted flames ever could. I give you my power with great faith in you and your party." The Fayth bowed in respect with Yuna.

"Thank you, oh great and powerful Fayth." Yuna said as she rose from bowing.

…

…

…

The group walked out of temple and began making their way to the airship until they were stopped by Dona and Barthello.

"Hello, Yuna and guardians." Dona started.

"Hello, Dona. I haven't seen you around lately. How are you and Barthello doing?" Yuna asked with a smile.

"We're fine. Every since we were reunited, Barthello has refused to let me out of his sight." Dona sighed with her hand on her head.

"He's just concerned for your safety. It's his duty to keep you safe, as your guardian." Yuna added.

"I know, and I am grateful. It's just that sometimes… a girl needs her space." Dona stopped shaking her head before turning to look Yuna in the eye. "So, I've heard that you're quite the trouble maker. First, getting rid of the Final Aeon, Lady Yunalesca, and a 1000 year old tradition? And now you have a plan to permanently defeat Sin? My, my, my. You are definitely something." Dona lightly laughed.

"I know, but I do not regret anything. I walk with my head held high, knowing that tomorrow will be the last day Sin will be around." Yuna smiled brightly.

"You really have grown stronger since the last time we met. Maybe you do have what it takes to defeat Sin. So, what is this plan of yous anyway?" Dona asked curiously.

"We're going to use the Hymn of the Fayth to calm Sin down enough for us to wound it. Once that happens, we'll enter Sin and defeat it from the inside." Tidus explained.

"That's the plan? Sounds like a good one to me." Dona said.

"Yeah, so make sure everyone in Kilika, Barthello, and you sing the Hymn of the Fayth tomorrow when you see a fly by." Rikku cheered.

"Anything to get rid of that menace. Don't worry, I'll make sure everyone is singing and whoever isn't… _**will face my wrath**_…" Dona laughed evilly.

"She's scary." Goofy and Donald shivered after jumping into Kimahri's arms.

"Well, I wish you all the best of luck. You're going to need it more than anything this time around."

"Thank you, Lady Dona." Yuna bowed before leading the group towards the airship.

Dona watched them leave with a light smile on her face. "They… are a brave bunch…" Barthello nodded in agreement at his summoner's words.

…

…

…

The next destination was Djose Temple. While the group entered the temple, Cid and Brother road the ship to pick up all the Al Bhed from Luca, the Mi'ihen High Road, Moonflow and Guadosalam.

After the gang entered the chamber, Ixion's Fayth appeared before them. "Summoner Yuna. May my lightning strike down the enemies standing before you so that you may defeat Sin and rescue us and all of Spira."

"I will use your power wisely." Yuna bowed before leading the group out of the chamber.

…

…

…

"Lady Yuna… please, allow me time to speak with you."

The group turned around to see Isaaru, Pace, and Maroda standing behind them.

"_**What do you want?"**_ Lulu glared.

"_**You shouldn't be showing your face. You should just be lucky Yuna allowed you to live for trying to kill her."**_ Ke'Ania growled with her Keyblades in hand.

"I know. I'm very sorry for trying to kill Lady Yuna, but I was ordered to by the Maesters of Yevon. But, I have seen the light serve the temple no more." Isaaru explain.

"Stand down, Ke'Ania. Let's hear what he has to say." Yuna ordered.

Ke'Ania hesitantly dismissed her Keyblades before standing up and folding her arms with a huff.

"Thank you." Isaaru bowed. "Lady Yuna, there is a rumor that you have a plan to defeat Sin for good, correct?" Yuna nodded. "Is there any way for us to help you succeed?"

"Why would you help us?" Tidus asked.

"This is my way of asking for forgiveness from Lady Yuna. I'm sorry for trying to kill you because the Maesters asked me to. I was deceived by them and their teachings." Isaaru said softly with his head lowered.

Yuna walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. This caused Isaaru to look up at her with wide eyes at her small smile. "We were all deceived by Yevon, but now… it's time we make it right. If you want to help us save our home, then I need you to make sure everyone from Luca, the Mi'ihen High Road, this temple, and the Moonflow sings the Hymn of the Fayth tomorrow when you see our airship fly by. If you do this, then Sin will be calm enough for us to defeat it. Can you do that?"

"I will make sure that everyone is singing on your behalf, Lady Yuna. You can count on us." Isaaru promised.

"Good. I will see you and everyone else once the destruction of Sin comes." Yuna smiled before leading her group to the airship.

Isaaru smiled the retreating group. "If your father was alive… she would be so proud."

…

…

…

"Alright Dad. We're going to go to the Macalania Temple. You and the rest of the Al Bhed cover the other parts of Spira." Rikku ordered.

"You got it." Cid smiled while giving a thumbs up before taking off in the airship.

…

…

…

The group was lucky to not run into any Guado while they were in the temple, so their journey to Shiva's Fayth chamber was simple and easy. And just like the rest of the temples, when they arrived in the chamber, Shiva's Fayth appeared.

"You have been betrayed by Yevon and yet you do not hate them. Why is that young summoner?"

"It is because I do not have time to hate them. It is true that they have deceived al of Spira, but I am the one that will make it right. I am the one that will show the Maesters that Sin can be defeated without the Final Summoning, sacrifice, or Yunalesca's help. I will be the one to defeat Sin… once and for all." Yuna said with strong determination in her voice.

The Fayth was quiet for a minute before speaking. "Daughter of Braska, Summoner Yuna, your will and strength will be able to freeze Sin in its place. Please, use me to pierce Sin's armor."

"I can't do it without you." Yuna smiled.

The Fayth nodded before starting to disappear. "Good luck to both you and your guardians."

Ke'Ania waited until the Fayth disappeared to speak. "We've been to all of the temples and spoken with all of the Fayth. The Al Bhed are still out spreading the word about tomorrow. So, what are we going to do now?"

"We have to walk to the front of the Macalania Woods. Belgemine said that there is a road there that will lead us to the jewel rock. Once we use that rock to upgrade our weapons, we can head back to the airship and rest up for tomorrow." Yuna answered.

"Oh great. More walking." Sora sighed.

"For once, I agree with you." Ke'Ania sighed with a laugh.

…

…

…

The group made it to the front of the Macalania Woods after a couple of fights with some fiends and Heartlesses, but there was no road waiting for them.

"Ok. We're at the front of the woods… **SO WHERE IS THE FUCKIN MAGIC ROAD?!"** Ke'Ania yelled with her hands in the air.

"Did Belgemine give some you any special instructions?" Tidus asked.

"No. She just said it'll appear." Yuna said curiously.

Rikku looked around and saw the Crystal Mirror and Flower Scepter glowing. "Yunie. Look. The mirror and scepter are glowing."

Yuna looked down and saw both objects glowing just like Rikku said. Yuna reached to grab both objects and held them together. Slowly and carefully, Yuna touched to two magical objects together. When they touched, something on the ground began to glow. Yuna moved to touch the two objects to the glowing part on the ground, creating a magical trail leading off the ground. Everyone gasped at the display. After a moment or two, the objects began to stop glowing. Yuna slowly removed them, relieved that the road was still there.

"Looks like this is it." Yuna stated nervously.

"I wonder where it leads?" Rikku asked to no one in particular as she moved to touch the road. "Is it even safe?"

"Why don't you test it out." Auron teased.

"Oh no. I'm not doing that! You do it." Rikku said as she backed away.

"We're never going to get anywhere at this rate. I'll go first." Lulu sighed as she moved to step on the road.

"Be careful, Lu." Wakka said.

Lulu took a deep breath. She lifted one foot and placed it on the road. When it seemed stable enough, she took another step and another and another until she was halfway up the road.

"It's perfectly safe. Come on." She called.

Everyone looked at each other before following her up the road to see where it led to.

…

…

…

"Hey, we're here." Donald said as he ran up to the magical rock.

"Excuse me, Donald." Yuna said before moving to unseal the magical jewel rock by touching it with the Crystal Mirror and Flower Scepter. When the two objects touched, the rock began to glow brightly.

"Ok, so how do we do this? I wish this freakin thing comes with instructions or something." Tidus huffed as he searched around found nothing.

The dirty blond male stood up and scratched his head in irritation. That's when his sword began to glow. Tidus held the sword out in front of the jeweled rock and let it float there. The jewels in the blade, merged within it and began to transform it. Everyone gasped as they say the blade morph and form into something different than his Brotherhood. When the blade stopped glowing, a long, solid blue and gold blade appeared.

"Whoa." Tidus whistled as he took back his sword. "I feel a lot more powerful with this new sword. He swung it around for a little bit and was quite happy with how it felt in his right hand. "I can't wait to use this to fight against Sin. I'm going to name it Caladbolg."

"My turn." Yuna smiled. She held up her staff and watched as the same thing happened to her staff. When Yuna reached out to grab her staff, she could also feel the power radiating off of her staff and into her. Her new staff was now blue, golden, and had fuchsia in it with a ribbon around it. "I will call it Nirvana." She smiled.

"I wanna go next." Wakka said. He watched as the same thing happened with his ball. And when he got it back, his ball looked nothing like his old Blitzball. The ball was red, black, and gold with spikes on the edge and on both sides of it. "This ball looks like a champion. So its name will be World Champion."

"I guess it's my turn then." Lulu shrugged. The Black Mage handed her doll over as soon as she reached the jeweled rock. After it stopped glowing, Lulu received a doll dressed in a yellow and orange knight suit and holding a sword and shield. But the thing that made her chuckle was that it looked a little like an onion. "Onion Knight. I'll call you Onion Knight." She smiled.

"OHHH! Me next!" Rikku cheered. After the jewel rock gave her back her new transformed weapon, it looked mightier than her original weapon. It looked like a red and black giant claw. "I'll name it Godhand. That name seems pretty awesome." She giggled.

"Kimahri turn." When the Ronso received his spear back, he looked at it with satisfaction. The handle of the spear was brown with a gold blade and yellow and blue features under it. He began to spin it around to get a feel for it. He smiled at how naturally it felt wielding the spear. "Kimahri will call it Spirit Lance. Kimahri like that name."

"I guess I'll be the last one to go." Auron smirked. The warrior watched as his sword magically transformed into something dangerous. The blade is black and red, split slightly in half at the edge and curved around. The same thing could be said for the part of the blade by the hilt. The older guardian also swung his blade around before placing it on his back. "I like it, there for I shall call it Masamune."

"That's everyone, right?" Sora asked.

"Yep, so let's go to Bevelle to tell the people to sing the Hymn of the Fayth." Rikku ordered.

"How do you know those damn Yevonites will listen you us?" Ke'Ania growled lightly with her arms crossed.

"They will have to listen to us. With them in chaos and Sin on the loose, Yevon is looking for any solution. If we give them one, then we'll be able to temporary control Yevon." Auron explained.

"Then let's get going before we lose this opportunity." Lulu suggested.

"Before we go… Is anyone else wondering where the rest of this road leads to?" Wakka asked.

Everyone shrugged their shoulders and began traveling down the road. When they got to the end, they found themselves by the entrance where the Macalania Inn.

"Wow. This is really upsetting." Ke'Ania sighed.

"So, you mean to tell me that not only is this a shortcut through the woods, but also the safest way to travel?" Tidus said in shock.

"Well… at least we know for next time." Yuna laughed nervously. "Let's head back to Bevelle before it gets too late."

Everyone sighed as they followed their summoner out of the woods and to the Highbridge.

…

…

…

"Ah, Lady Yuna and guardians. I had not known that you left. Have you seen Maester Mika? It seems that I cannot find him anywhere." Shelinda asked in a panic.

"Sorry, but we haven't seen him either." Tidus lied calmly.

"That is very odd. Very odd indeed."

"Um, Shelinda?" Yuna started, capturing the woman's attention. "We've come to ask for your help."

"Oh? With what?" Shelinda questioned with interest.

"You see, we came here to discuss our plan to finally defeat Sin with Maester Mika, but since he is not here maybe you can help us."

"Oh. Anything I can do, Lady Yuna?" The orange haired girl asked.

"Yes. We need you to spread the word to everyone in Bevelle. We need you to tell them to sing the Hymn of the Fayth when they see a flying ship pass over them. If everyone in Spira can sing the Hymn, it will be loud enough for Sin to hear it. Once it hears the Hymn, then Sin will be calm enough for us to defeat it. Do you think you can do that for me?"

"Why of course, Lady Yuna. If it is to bring about the destruction of Sin, then I will do anything I can. You can count on me to make sure all of Spira will sing along with the Hymn." Shelinda cheered.

"Thank you. Tomorrow will begin a new day. And with everyone's help, we will create a world without Sin." Yuna smiled.

"It's a world only you can create. I wish you the best of luck." Shelinda smiled before turning and leaving.

Yuna watched the woman leave. After Shelinda was gone, Yuan turned to led the group back to the airship for the final time that night.

…

…

…

That night, everyone sat down to eat dinner before resting for the big day tomorrow. Once everyone was finished, Brother and Cid grabbed the plates and were about to do the dishes when Wakka called out to Cid.

"Hey, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." Cid turned to Wakka as the orange haired man took a deep breath. "All my life, I hated the Al Bhed. I was taught that you guys were bad and wanted no contact with you. I even blamed you guys for the death of my brother, Chappu. But, after discovering the truth about Yevon and everything else… I would just like to apologize for the way I've been acting. I've been acting like a big jerk and… I just want you guys to know that I'm very sorry."

Cid laughed before hitting Wakka on his shoulder. "Apology accepted. Hell, I'll admit that I'm guilty of hating those damn Yevonites, I still do. But, thanks to my niece and daughter, I have found that not every Yevonite isn't so bad."

Wakka and Cid began to laugh and hit each other on the shoulder for awhile. "Well kiddos, Brother and I will clean up from dinner. I want all of you to get a good night sleep. Tomorrow is Sin's last day and I don't want Spira's heroes to be tired for it." Cid laughed once more before leaving.

Everyone began to talk amongst each other, except Tidus and Auron. The older guardian turned to the dirty blond with a nod.

"It's time." Tidus nodded at Auron's words before standing up.

"Everyone. I have… something important to say."

"What is it, Tidus?" Goofy asked.

"It's about the Fayth, Sin, my old man, and me…" Tidus took a deep breath.

"About the Fayth? Does it have to do with what the Fayth were talking about when they said they're sleeping?" Yuna questioned in confusion and curiosity.

"Yeah. I know why all of those Fayth were on Mt. Gagazet." Tidus said.

"You do? Then spill." Rikku commanded.

"While I was out, I met up with Bahamut's Fayth. I've been seeing him off and on for quite a while now, but I didn't find out who he was until we went to the Bevelle Temple. That's when I remembered that he was one of the kids I saw before and during Sin's attack. He told me that, when the war came to Zanarkand, all of its residences were killed by Bevelle and Yevon because they didn't want to bow to a new way of life and to a corrupt religion. The war devastated them and in an attempt to preserve their precious city, the remaining people of Zanarkand became Fayth and were gathered here by Yu Yevon to be used in a summoning like Yuna said." Tidus informed.

"So what is the summoning these Fayth are being used for?" Donald asked.

Tidus looked down before sighing and answering. "The summoning is… Dream Zanarkand. The place that I said I came from was not the real Zanarkand. I thought that when I first came to Spira that I had only traveled 1000 years into the future, but I was wrong. I didn't time travel. I was brought her by Auron, Sin, and Bahamut's Fayth. I'm not real. I'm just a dream. Everything I knew was a lie. My family, my life, my career, my adventures, everything about me is a lie. I am part of a dream that was created because the people of Zanarkand wanted to preserve their memories of their city. The life that I thought I lived actually belongs to someone else.. Who that person is, I don't know. All I know is that I'm not real and that I'm living someone, who died a thousand years ago, life." Tidus explained, causing everyone to gasp.

"That's not true! Please tell me that what you're saying is a lie." Yuna yelled as she stood up, causing her chair to fall to the floor. "Please tell me that you're lying." She begged as she moved to grip the front of Tidus's jacket.

"I'm sorry Yuna, but it's true. Bahamut's Fayth told me. But there's more to it." Tidus took a deep breath before continuing. "The Fayth also told me that they've been dreaming and summoning Dream Zanarkand for 1000 years. The cycle has been continuing since Sin was created, they've been at it for that long."

"But wait, what about the Calm? Do they stop dreaming during those ten years?" Ke'Ania asked.

"No. Because Sin is never truly defeated, they can never rest. As long as Yu Yevon is around, the Dream Zanarkand will continue. The only reason you were able to know my old man and me is because we're both touched by Sin. They used my father to try and end their dream, but when he couldn't, they came for me. They want me to end their dreaming and allow them to fully rest in peace. So, now more than ever, we have to make sure to defeat Sin once and for all." Tidus stated.

Yuna was still hanging onto his jacket, but no one cared.

"Alright fine, so we have our duty. But, what did the Fayth say will happen if we defeat Sin permanently? They'll stop dreaming and then what happens?" Sora asked.

"He said that when Yu Yevon turned them into Fayth and used them to create Sin, he gave it only two duties. One was to defend Dream Zanarkand at any cost and two was to destroy cities that rely heavily on machina. By doing this, it'll prevent anyone from discovering my Zanarkand. He also said that despite being a copy of someone from the real Zanarkand, we all developed our own person, thus allowing us to go to the Farplane if we die. They created a peaceful Zanarkand that didn't know about war or Spira or Sin, hence the reason I didn't know about Spira when I first came. They only want the people of Dream Zanarkand to know love, peace, and Blitzball. Because Dream Zanarkand is made up of their memories and because Yu Yevon was the reason they were turned into Fayth, they're all connected to Sin. If we break that connection and destroy Sin and Yu Yevon for good~"

"Then the Fayth will stop dreaming and Dream Zanarkand will be no more." Auron finished. Tidus nodded at his answer.

"So… what does that mean for you and Sir Jetch?" Yuna asked worriedly,

"It means that Jetch will be free to go to the Farplane and that I'll…" He paused because he felt tears coming to his eyes. He forced them back by keeping his eyes closed. "It means that I'll disappear."

Everyone gasped. "But why? Why do you have to disappear? Why can't you stay here? You're not a dream anymore. You've been touched by Sin, turning you real and bringing you here, so why must you disappear?" The fear and panic in Yuna's eyes and words pulled at Tidus's heart strings.

He pulled her into his chest as she lightly cried. "That's just it. It's _**because **_I was touched by Sin that I have to disappear. I'm connected to the Fayth and Sin. Once we defeat Sin… that'll be the end of me."

She cried a little longer before lifting her head to look at him. "Then I won't defeat Sin. If it means keeping you around, then I won't defeat Sin."

"No. It's true that I do want you to quit to keep you alive, but I won't let you quit to save me. My fate was already decided the moment Zanarkand was destroyed. You have to defeat Sin so that you can save Spira and set the Fayth free. Don't worry, I'll still be here to help you carry through with the plan, but I will not be here to celebrate with you. We have to defeat Sin, defeat my old man, and save your home. My world doesn't exist and it's time that it stopped existing. You and your world are still here and I intend to keep it that way." After having spoken that, Tidus turned away from Yuna and lowered his head.

Yuna looked at Tidus's back as more tears spilled from her eyes. She dropped to the floor and sobbed for her soon-to-be loss of Tidus, the man she loves. Upon hearing her cries of agony and heartache, Tidus clenched his fists and began to move out of the dining room and into his room. But, as he stood in the doorway of the dining room, Tidus turned his head slightly to see Yuna still crying on the floor. That scene and the sounds of her sobs and tears hitting the steel floor felt like knives in his chest. Not being able to stand the sight anymore, Tidus turned and lowered his head as far as it could go.

"I'm sorry, Yuna." He whispered before walking out of the room with tears sliding down his cheeks and chin.

…

…

…

**To Be Continued…**

…

**Next Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

The gang fight Sin for the last time…


	35. Poll Info

Poll Info:

Thanks to everyone who voted in my poll. It really makes me feel loved, appreciated, and that people are actually reading my work and that I'm not wasting my time here. You guys really are the best. The winner for my 2012 poll was NaruSasu (Naru-seme, Sasuke-uke). I will be posting the one-shot I have for the couple sometime soon.

The Top 10 from My Poll:

1) NaruSasu (68-16%)

2) SasuNaru (46-11%)

3) NejiGaara (25-6%)

4) KyuuItac (23-5%)

5) ItacKyuu (21-5%)

6) KakaIru (20-4%)

7) ShikaKiba (15-3%)

8) SessInu (15-3%)

9) ShikaTemari (15-3%)

10) KibaHin (11-2%)

Thanks again for voting, but now it's time for another poll. This one, however is totally up to you, my fans. On this poll you are allowed to choose up to 5 couples from the list of 10. Whichever couple wins, I will ask my fans what they would like for me to do with the couple. I will anything from a one-shot, song fic, lengthy story, or anything my fans want to see. When a winner is chosen, I will put another poll up to see what everyone wants for this couple. After that... I will be asking everyone for ideas. More details will come about when it is time for the second poll and anything after that. This poll will be closing on March 13th, 2013. So, the only thing I have left to say is good luck to all the couples, happy voting, and please continue to read and review my stories. I love you guys ^^3!

**IMPORTANT NOTE!**

I'm sorry for the confusion to you guys. I was wondering why the past few days I was receiving people's lists of their choices. You guys were supposed to vote on the poll on my profile. I just edited so that it displays on my profile, so it should be up there by time you read this. I'm so sorry about the confusion again. But, if you go on my profile and the poll is not there, please send me a PM and I will go in and correct the problem. Once again, please forgive me for being an idiot and not checking on that. Happy voting once again.

**Few Words from Author to Reviewer:**

Also, I would like to express something to the _**GUEST **_that reviewed my **Bleach** story _**'Three Little Words'**_. I know that that story was not the best and full of mistakes, but that was when I was still getting the hang of writing. But to say that I am too young to be writing stories is an insult and you should not have taken it that far. FYI, I am 18 years old now, but when I wrote it I was 15. I read it after posting it and realized that it wasn't the best and needs some work, but I have not gotten around to doing so. I've been busy improving my writing skills and gaining more experience. And to say that I cannot write is also another harsh blow. I know that you were just being honest, and I respect that, but you could have at least looked at some of my most recent work instead of criticizing something I wrote on a whim and that is three years old. Next time, please take care in what you say and what you know, because you could start a war. I, on the other hand, do not care that you thought my story sucked, but I did take what you said into consideration and will hopefully find time to edit my past stories. Otherwise, please take the advice I give you seriously and please try a more gentle approach when reviewing people's work. There are some young writers on here, then just need a little help expanding their wings. I do not always like the way people write or think that some of their work is a little juvenile, but at least I don't tell them that they shouldn't be writing. People actually kill themselves because of comments like that.


	36. Taking Down the Enemy

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Final Time in Spira. Final Battles.

**Author Announcement:**

Poll Info:

Thanks to everyone who voted in my poll. It really makes me feel loved, appreciated, and that people are actually reading my work and that I'm not wasting my time here. You guys really are the best. The winner for my 2012 poll was NaruSasu (Naru-seme, Sasuke-uke). I will be posting the one-shot I have for the couple sometime soon.

The Top 10 from My Poll:

1) NaruSasu (68-16%)

2) SasuNaru (46-11%)

3) NejiGaara (25-6%)

4) KyuuItac (23-5%)

5) ItacKyuu (21-5%)

6) KakaIru (20-4%)

7) ShikaKiba (15-3%)

8) SessInu (15-3%)

9) ShikaTemari (15-3%)

10) KibaHin (11-2%)

Thanks again for voting, but now it's time for another poll. This one, however is totally up to you, my fans. On this poll you are allowed to choose up to 5 couples from the list of 10. Whichever couple wins, I will ask my fans what they would like for me to do with the couple. I will anything from a one-shot, song fic, lengthy story, or anything my fans want to see. When a winner is chosen, I will put another poll up to see what everyone wants for this couple. After that... I will be asking everyone for ideas. More details will come about when it is time for the second poll and anything after that. This poll will be closing on March 13th, 2013. So, the only thing I have left to say is good luck to all the couples, happy voting, and please continue to read and review my stories. I love you guys ^^3!

**Author Announcement 2: IMPORTANT TO MY FANS! PLEASE READ! I THINK YOU'LL LIKE IT!**

I would also like to give my fans of this story a special shout out. I looked through all of the votes and was proud and excited when I saw that Ke'Ania and Sora actually made it to rank 25 out of 40. It wasn't higher than Sora/Kairi, but I wasn't expecting that. I knew it wouldn't get more than that couple, but it warms my heart that it actually got more than what I was expecting. This whole time, I thought very few to no one was reading this story and that I was wasting my time posting these chapters, but I still wanted to do it anyway. And now that I know people are actually reading this makes me even more excited to post these chapters. I do wish that this story would get some reviews, but just knowing that people are actually reading it is good enough for me. ^^3 So thank you… all of you.

**Author Shout Outs:**

I'm sorry for making everyone wait so long for this chapter, but here it finally is. I would also like to thank some of my readers for asking when the new chapter was coming (_**Hsword)**_. I hope this nice and long one will make up for it.

I would also like to thank my beta: _**Abby là Tunecci**_for reviewing and editing my story. She's awesome.

**Last Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

That night, everyone sat down to eat dinner before resting for the big day tomorrow. Once everyone was finished, Brother and Cid grabbed the plates and were about to do the dishes when Wakka called out to Cid.

"Hey, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." Cid turned to Wakka as the orange haired man took a deep breath. "All my life, I hated the Al Bhed. I was taught that you guys were bad and wanted no contact with you. I even blamed you guys for the death of my brother, Chappu. But, after discovering the truth about Yevon and everything else… I would just like to apologize for the way I've been acting. I've been acting like a big jerk and… I just want you guys to know that I'm very sorry."

Cid laughed before hitting Wakka on his shoulder. "Apology accepted. Hell, I'll admit that I'm guilty of hating those damn Yevonites, I still do. But, thanks to my niece and daughter, I have found that not every Yevonite isn't so bad."

Wakka and Cid began to laugh and hit each other on the shoulder for awhile. "Well kiddos, Brother and I will clean up from dinner. I want all of you to get a good night sleep. Tomorrow is Sin's last day and I don't want Spira's heroes to be tired for it." Cid laughed once more before leaving.

Everyone began to talk amongst each other, except Tidus and Auron. The older guardian turned to the dirty blond with a nod.

"It's time." Tidus nodded at Auron's words before standing up.

"Everyone. I have… something important to say."

"What is it, Tidus?" Goofy asked.

"It's about the Fayth, Sin, my old man, and me…" Tidus took a deep breath.

"About the Fayth? Does it have to do with what the Fayth were talking about when they said they're sleeping?" Yuna questioned in confusion and curiosity.

"Yeah. I know why all of those Fayth were on Mt. Gagazet." Tidus said.

"You do? Then spill." Rikku commanded.

"While I was out, I met up with Bahamut's Fayth. I've been seeing him off and on for quite a while now, but I didn't find out who he was until we went to the Bevelle Temple. That's when I remembered that he was one of the kids I saw before and during Sin's attack. He told me that, when the war came to Zanarkand, all of its residences were killed by Bevelle and Yevon because they didn't want to bow to a new way of life and to a corrupt religion. The war devastated them and in an attempt to preserve their precious city, the remaining people of Zanarkand became Fayth and were gathered here by Yu Yevon to be used in a summoning like Yuna said." Tidus informed.

"So what is the summoning these Fayth are being used for?" Donald asked.

Tidus looked down before sighing and answering. "The summoning is… Dream Zanarkand. The place that I said I came from was not the real Zanarkand. I thought that when I first came to Spira that I had only traveled 1000 years into the future, but I was wrong. I didn't time travel. I was brought her by Auron, Sin, and Bahamut's Fayth. I'm not real. I'm just a dream. Everything I knew was a lie. My family, my life, my career, my adventures, everything about me is a lie. I am part of a dream that was created because the people of Zanarkand wanted to preserve their memories of their city. The life that I thought I lived actually belongs to someone else.. Who that person is, I don't know. All I know is that I'm not real and that I'm living someone, who died a thousand years ago, life." Tidus explained, causing everyone to gasp.

"That's not true! Please tell me that what you're saying is a lie." Yuna yelled as she stood up, causing her chair to fall to the floor. "Please tell me that you're lying." She begged as she moved to grip the front of Tidus's jacket.

"I'm sorry Yuna, but it's true. Bahamut's Fayth told me. But there's more to it." Tidus took a deep breath before continuing. "The Fayth also told me that they've been dreaming and summoning Dream Zanarkand for 1000 years. The cycle has been continuing since Sin was created, they've been at it for that long."

"But wait, what about the Calm? Do they stop dreaming during those ten years?" Ke'Ania asked.

"No. Because Sin is never truly defeated, they can never rest. As long as Yu Yevon is around, the Dream Zanarkand will continue. The only reason you were able to know my old man and me is because we're both touched by Sin. They used my father to try and end their dream, but when he couldn't, they came for me. They want me to end their dreaming and allow them to fully rest in peace. So, now more than ever, we have to make sure to defeat Sin once and for all." Tidus stated.

Yuna was still hanging onto his jacket, but no one cared.

"Alright fine, so we have our duty. But, what did the Fayth say will happen if we defeat Sin permanently? They'll stop dreaming and then what happens?" Sora asked.

"He said that when Yu Yevon turned them into Fayth and used them to create Sin, he gave it only two duties. One was to defend Dream Zanarkand at any cost and two was to destroy cities that rely heavily on machina. By doing this, it'll prevent anyone from discovering my Zanarkand. He also said that despite being a copy of someone from the real Zanarkand, we all developed our own person, thus allowing us to go to the Farplane if we die. They created a peaceful Zanarkand that didn't know about war or Spira or Sin, hence the reason I didn't know about Spira when I first came. They only want the people of Dream Zanarkand to know love, peace, and Blitzball. Because Dream Zanarkand is made up of their memories and because Yu Yevon was the reason they were turned into Fayth, they're all connected to Sin. If we break that connection and destroy Sin and Yu Yevon for good~"

"Then the Fayth will stop dreaming and Dream Zanarkand will be no more." Auron finished. Tidus nodded at his answer.

"So… what does that mean for you and Sir Jetch?" Yuna asked worriedly,

"It means that Jetch will be free to go to the Farplane and that I'll…" He paused because he felt tears coming to his eyes. He forced them back by keeping his eyes closed. "It means that I'll disappear."

Everyone gasped. "But why? Why do you have to disappear? Why can't you stay here? You're not a dream anymore. You've been touched by Sin, turning you real and bringing you here, so why must you disappear?" The fear and panic in Yuna's eyes and words pulled at Tidus's heart strings.

He pulled her into his chest as she lightly cried. "That's just it. It's _**because **_I was touched by Sin that I have to disappear. I'm connected to the Fayth and Sin. Once we defeat Sin… that'll be the end of me."

She cried a little longer before lifting her head to look at him. "Then I won't defeat Sin. If it means keeping you around, then I won't defeat Sin."

"No. It's true that I do want you to quit to keep you alive, but I won't let you quit to save me. My fate was already decided the moment Zanarkand was destroyed. You have to defeat Sin so that you can save Spira and set the Fayth free. Don't worry, I'll still be here to help you carry through with the plan, but I will not be here to celebrate with you. We have to defeat Sin, defeat my old man, and save your home. My world doesn't exist and it's time that it stopped existing. You and your world are still here and I intend to keep it that way." After having spoken that, Tidus turned away from Yuna and lowered his head.

Yuna looked at Tidus's back as more tears spilled from her eyes. She dropped to the floor and sobbed for her soon-to-be loss of Tidus, the man she loves. Upon hearing her cries of agony and heartache, Tidus clenched his fists and began to move out of the dining room and into his room. But, as he stood in the doorway of the dining room, Tidus turned his head slightly to see Yuna still crying on the floor. That scene and the sounds of her sobs and tears hitting the steel floor felt like knives in his chest. Not being able to stand the sight anymore, Tidus turned and lowered his head as far as it could go.

"I'm sorry, Yuna." He whispered before walking out of the room with tears sliding down his cheeks and chin.

**Onto Next Chapter of **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

**Chapter 32: Taking Down the Enemy**

**Normal P.O.V.**

The next morning, everyone woke up with heavy hearts at Tidus's news. Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy took it the hardest. It's already bad enough that they're plague with the possibility that they might lose Yuna, but now that they know that they'll lose Tidus too… it was heart wrenching. Ke'Ania was at a lost the most.

She still blames herself for the previous princesses that slipped from their grasp, so she made it her goal to make sure that Yuna stays in this world. If she can do that, then maybe she'll start believing that it wasn't a mistake for her to be here. Her body was shaking and her eyes were a mix between blue for sadness and grey for fear. Her forehead rested against her knees that were pulled into her chest while her arms wrapped around her legs for comfort.

"_**Kitten?"**_

"_Entée? Is that you?"_ Ke'Ania asked.

"_**Yes. How are you?"**_ The demon asked her vessel.

"_I've been better. Much better. Why are you here? I thought you weren't returning again?"_ The young girl laughed lightly.

"_**I wasn't supposed to, but when I heard your cries and fears, I just had to come running. After all, that's what mothers do for their young. So tell me, what's the matter, Kitten?"**_

"_I'm scared, Entée. In the past, I wasn't the best protector of the Pure Heart Princesses. Yuna is the only one I think I might be able to protect, last night… we just found out that once we defeat Sin, or enemy, then out friend, Tidus, will disappear. Between worrying about winning against Sin, saving Yuna and this world, losing Tidus, and the Darkness… I barely slept last night. I'm really tired."_ The brunette girl admitted.

"_**Ya know, all of this worrying isn't good for your brain or body. If you keep this up, you'll wither away before you even have a chance to execute your plans."**_ The demon laughed, slightly cheering Ke'Ania up.

"_I know, but it's a lot of pressure for anyone to deal with. I bet Sora is feeling the same way. We both know that if we fail to protect the worlds and their princesses from the Darkness and its leader, Maleficent, then we're all screwed… including Kairi, Riku, Saedi, and Raven, who are still lost by the way."_ Ke'Ania sighed deeply before continuing. _"I'm starting to think that the voice that rescued me was wrong to make me a Pure Heart Princess and give me the Keyblades. All I do is screw up and because of that, the Darkness is winning. If they keep getting more princesses, then they'll have the entire universe within their grasp. I'm, such a failure."_

"_**Ke'Ania, listen to me. You are NOT a failure. You are strong in many ways, so you will prevail over the Darkness and its leader. You may think that you becoming a Pure Heart Princess and also a Keyblade Master is a mistake, but I think otherwise. You're brave enough to stand up to your enemies and defeat them to the best of your abilities. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. And besides, you're not alone. You have Sora, Donald, Goofy, and the other friends you've made helping ease the burden. They, along with your Keyblades and powers are your best allies. Use them to defeat the Darkness and save everyone along with Sora. All I ask is that you do the best you can. No one can be mad at you for doing your best. And if you have to go down… then go down fighting… hard."**_

Ke'Ania sniffed a few times before whipping her tears away and smiling, changing her eyes to green. _"I promise."_

"_**Good. I must take my leave. I will return to you once my quest is over. But, before I go, I will restore your to defeat Sin."**_ Ke'Ania closed her eyes as she felt Entée's magic revive her._** "I believe in you and I know that you will succeed. Good luck, Kitten. I know you can do it."**_ And with that, Entée was gone and Ke'Ania had a giant smile on her face.

Sora yawned as he walked into the bridge, but stopped when he saw Ke'Ania still sitting in her curled position. Worried about her, the spiky brunette moved to kneel before her and touch her arm.

"Ke'Ania?" He called, making the girl's head to shot up in surprised. "You alright?"

Ke'Ania laughed a little as her body relaxed. "I'm fine. Just a little worried is all."

"You were thinking about Tidus's words all night too?" Sora said as he moved to sit next to her with one leg propped up and an elbow resting on said knee.

"Yeah. It had me thinking and worrying." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Sora, do you ever doubt that it was a mistake for us to be the Keyblade Masters?"

"All the time." This answer made Ke'Ania's head snap in his direction. "But, I try not to think about it. It doesn't do anything to doubt myself, except to make me weak. So, the only thing I can do is try to put my doubt aside and prove a point."

"And that would be…?" She asked.

"To prove to the universe that I am the Keyblade Master and I will save it, with you, of course." He smiled at his crush.

This made Ke'Ania's eyes to widen before she began to smile back. "How will you do that when the Darkness is winning right now?"

"They maybe winning, but between the four of us… the Darkness doesn't stand a chance and that we'll win together." Sora smiled more when his hand reached out to grab hers and hold it tight.

Ke'Ania's green eyes mixed with fuchsia as she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "You're right. Let's defeat the Darkness together. And let's start by defeating Sin today."

Sora before watching as everyone's head shot in the direction of the door when Tidus walked in. "Mornin'" The dirty blond smiled nervously as he looked around the room with a raised hand. Yuna was the first to walk up to him, making Tidus's heart sped up in worry. She opened her mouth to say something, but Tidus shook his head to stop her. "Please Yuna. I don't want you to be sad over this. Please, just let me help you defeat Sin. It's the least I can do as before disappearing." He said sadly with his hands on her shoulders.

Yuna shook her head with a smile as she used her hands to remove his and place them between them. "I wasn't going to beg you not to go. I sat up all night thinking about it and realized that this is the way things have to be…"

"Yuna~"

"But not for long." Yuna interrupted, confusing her love. "After you disappear, I will do everything in my power to find you and bring you back. I don't care how long it takes, I _**will **_ get you back." She said in a determined voice.

Everyone was shocked by her words and looked to Tidus to say something about this. Tidus looked into Yuna's blue and green eyes before raising his hand to caress her cheek with both hands. "As long as you're safe… I won't mind. I'll for however long it takes. But first… let's defeat Sin."

Yuna nodded with a smile. "Alright then. We should be getting started." She released his hands and ran over to Cid. "Uncle, are you ready to play the Hymn?"

"You beat your ass I am. Sin is going down!" The bald Al Bhed cheered before moving to play the Hymn as loud as the ship could play.

"Wow! That's really loud! Is everyone singing already?" Rikku asked.

"Nope, it's the speakers. You guys said that you need it to play as loud as possible. So, I gave the speakers some upgrades. Now, everyone, including Sin will hear the Hymn!" Cid yelled in excitement.

"I that's the case, then how we gonna know if all of Spira is singing?" Wakka questioned.

"Oh I'm sure we'll hear it soon." Auron smirked.

Everyone waited a few moments before the song began to get louder. Everyone was cheering as they heard the people of Spira singing the Hymn.

"This means that they listened and that they believe in us to win!" Donald jumped up and sown in excitement.

"Alright, now that everyone is singing, we can battle Sin." Tidus smirked.

"And how do you propose we enter Sin?" Lulu asked.

"Easy. If we can't go through the mouth… we'll rip a new hole in its armor." Tidus answered with confidence.

"Great plan." Auron added.

Everyone turned to Cid as he began to laugh deeply. "Oh no. He's finally lost it." Rikku sighed.

"No. I'm just congratulating the boy on the plan. It's magnificent." Cid said, trying to control his chuckles.

Brother ran from his place at the head of the bridge to speak with Cid in Al Bhed. "That's… actually a great idea. Probably the best idea you've ever had." Rikku teased.

"What did he say?"Yuna questioned.

"Let's just say, we have a secret weapon to help you rip that hole within Sin's armor. And when the time comes, you don't have to worry about not getting inside." Cid smirked. "No go. We don't have time to be sitting her yappin when there's a giant floating whale out there that needs defeatin."

"You got it, Pops. Alright everyone, time to take down Sin!" Rikku yelled.

"Rikku!" Brother shouted, catching everyone's attention. The blond male cleared his throat before speaking again… in English. "Rikku… be… careful… alright…?"

Rikku blinked and nodded at Brother's words with a smile. "You got it… big brother."

"Alright, now get out of here." Cid ordered.

Everyone turned and ran out of the door and onto the top of the ship. Cid watched the group of eleven go with a tear and a smile. "I'm proud of them. Very proud."

…

…

…

"Um guys… I think we should be worried." Wakka warned.

"Lost your nerve already." Lulu teased.

"Yeah, especially when it comes to something like that!" Wakka shouted.

Everyone turned around to see Sin floating before them. But, that wasn't what was scaring them. What scared them was the purple and black sphere it was creating in front of its mouth. The sphere began to grow and expand. Winds whipped around them. A whirlpool was created, sucking in the clouds and water with it. They watched this for a while, but covered themselves when Sin released the sphere. It whizzed right past them and left a destructive trail in its wake. Everything was quiet, but time was not frozen. It seemed as if the sound barrier was broken. When the wind and sphere passed them, they slowly stood to their feet and looked around.

"Oh no." Rikku gasped when we saw the water and some explosions heading their way.

Everyone ran from the threat. Most of them barely escaped the explosion, but no one was harmed.

"Everyone ok?" Wakka asked as he helped Lulu stand.

'We're fine." Everyone answered.

"I can see we might have more trouble than I thought." Ke'Ania groaned while holding her head.

"So, how are we going to get close to that thing?" Rikku questioned.

"**I'VE GOT AN IDEA!"** Cid shouted.

"What is it, dad?"

"**AT THE BASE OF SIN'S ARM WAS SOMETHING SHINY! IF YOU CAN HIT THAT SPOT, YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO KNOCK ITS ARM OFF!"**

"Alright then. It's time for some distance fighting." Lulu readied herself and her Onion Knight to attack, but the ship began to shake, causing everyone to fall onto it. "What's wrong?"

"**SIN IS PULLING US IN!"**

"So what do we do now?" Auron asked.

"**I'M GOING TO HAVE BROTHER PULL THE SHIP TO ITS SIDE AND IT'LL GIVE YOU SOME TIME TO TAKE ITS ARM OFF. BUT YOU HAVE TO BE FAST ABOUT IT."**

"Roger! You heard my old man! It's time to attack the arms!" Rikku yelled with her fists in the air.

Everyone watched as the ship pulled to one of the arms. The shinning sphere was before them, giving the long distance fighters a clear shot. Wakka put his World Champion in his hand, ready to attack. When he threw the ball, he made sure to put all the force he had behind the throw. But, when it hit the sphere, the beast barely made a sound. Wakka jumped up to retrieve his ball and stared at it in confusion.

"It didn't even affect it." Wakka stated in shock.

"It looks like magic maybe the only thing that can hurt it." Yuna said.

"Then we'll take off its arms with magic. Simple as that." Lulu smirked as she made her way to the front of the group. Yuna, Ke'Ania, and Donald followed to line up beside her.

"Wait! What we supposed to do?" Sora questioned.

"Try not to fall off." Lulu instructed before rubbing her hands together until two fireballs formed in her hands.

She bent down to her Onion Knight. Her doll raised its sword in the air and touched both fireballs, making them expand and grow hotter. She nodded in appreciation before turning towards Sin and sent both balls towards Sin's weak spot. The beast howled in pain at the feeling of having the two balls hitting his weak spot. Yuna added some lightning to her staff and shot it at its weak spot, making it howl louder. Donald created some ice crystals and shot them at the spot. Ke'Ania was up next. She took her right hand, touched her fingers against her lips and waited until they began to glow white before bringing them to touch the fingers on her left hand. Once all of her fingers were lit, she spun around and created white, transparent streams from them.

"What is that?" Sora asked in amazement.

"This is one of the many ways I can manipulate the wind element. I call this technique Deadly Wind Claws." She smirked before throwing her hands forward.

Sin gave a mighty howl when the wind claws attached themselves to the sphere. With a painful grunt, Ke'Ania yelled as she yanked them out of the sphere. With the force behind her yank, Ke'Ania almost lost her footing and fell on the airship's top.

"That thing is a little stronger than I thought." The long haired brunette laughed while scratching the back of her head.

"_**Look! Sin!"**_ Kimahri said as he pointed. They all turned their head to see that Sin was roaring in pain while it slowly descended. _**"Sin weak."**_

"Ya hear that, Pops?! It's time to use the canon!"

"**ROGER! HOLD ON TIGHT KIDDOS!"**

The ship began to shake slightly when the ship pulled away from Sin's arm. Below the cloth that swayed in the breeze, two long, golden triangle like rods shot out. Lightning began to form between them before shooting straight forward and hitting Sin's arm in the weak spot. Sin gave a loud, painful roar as its arm fell off, turning into Pyreflies before it fell to the ground.

"Alright! Now time for the next arm!" Tidus cheered.

"Dad! Take us to the other side!" Rikku commanded.

"**NO PROBLEM!"**

They made it over to the other side, slightly losing their balance when the ship shook from being pulled into Sin slightly. Once they were over there, they executed the same plan as the other arm. Everyone cheered when Cid's canon shot off the last arm and watched as it also turned into Pyreflies before it could hit the ground.

"Both arms are down, so we go for the mouth now?" Wakka asked.

"No. Sin is too powerful for us to enter." Tidus stated.

"Then how so we bring it down more?" Yuna questioned.

"On top if its head is another weak spot. If we can hit that spot, then we can bring Sin down." Auron suggested.

"Dad! Did you get that?!" Rikku yelled.

"**SORRY RIKKU, BUT YOU GUYS ARE ON YOUR OWN! WE CAN'T GET ANY CLOSER UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR US TO ENTER SIN!"**

"Damnit, then how the hell are we going to get down there then?" Tidus cursed.

"Stand back and watch." Donald said as he stepped to the front for the ship and began making an ice road.

"Awesome idea, Donald. Now we can use this to reach Sin." Ke'Ania cheered.

When the ice road is long enough, everyone hopped on and slid down it until they reached the top of its head. Once they got there, a flower Sinspawn was guarding the weak spot.

"Allow us to do some gardening." Sora smirked as the boys and Rikku lined up to stand against the plant fiend. "It's the same one we faced in Kilika. It shouldn't be too heart to defeat. Just you watch."

Rikku was the first to go. She ran towards the fiend and used her Godhand to slice some of the fiend's skin. The fiend screeched in pain before grabbing Rikku and throwing her back. Kimahri was there to catch her and place her safely onto the ground.

"Thanks." She smiled in relief.

Sora and Tidus turned to look at each other, nod, and race towards the fiend. They used their blades to slice at it. Kimahri and Auron joined them. Once the fiend was gone, the girls used their magic to dispel the weak spot before Auron jumped up and stabbed the spot.

"That should so it." Auron said as he placed his sword on his back.

Sin's body began to shake. "What's going on?!" Wakka yelled.

"Sin's falling!" Goofy shouted.

Everyone tired to grab onto the beast as it descended to the ground. That's when they saw the airship slightly beneath Sin. When they finally found their footing, everyone jumped off of Sin and landed safely onto the airship. Together, they watched as the beast began to fall to the ground. The giant whale-like beast fell to the ground.

"I wonder if Sir Jetch is in pain?" Yuna whispered.

"I don't know. I just know he would want us to end this quickly." Tidus said calmly with one hand on her shoulder.

"I'm worried." Lulu stated.

"About what, Lu?"

"When Yuna summons the aeons to fight against Yu Yevon, it will be small but it might jump again. What if we can't defeat it today?" She replied.

"Then we'll hunt it down and keep fighting it until there's nowhere let to run. But, we won't have to worry about it as long as we take advantage of its weakness now." Tidus answered.

"Um guys…? I don't think that's anything good." Ke'Ania pointed out.

Everyone turned to look and see what Sin was doing. The armor on the back opened up and white, sparkly wings appeared. Sin jumped from the ground and onto the top of the Bevelle Temple.

"What is it doing? Readying for another attack?" Sora asked.

"It's Jetch. He's waiting for us to finish what we started." Auron calmly said.

"Then, let's end it. Old man! Take us you Sin's mouth!" Tidus ordered.

"**YOU GOT IT, KIDDO! LET'S END IT NOW!"** The airship flew to the front of Sin. **"OH NO! SIN IS STILL DRAWING US IN! I'M GOING TO USE THE MAIN CANON TO OPEN ITS MOUTH, SO I SUGGEST YOU GUYS HOLD ON REAL TIGHT OR ELSE YOU WILL FALL TO YOUR DEATHS!"** Everyone prepared themselves and made sure to have something they could hold onto. They watched as lightning connected together before it shot out at Sin's mouth. It didn't take long with the canon for a whole to be created. **"WE'RE GOING IN!"**

Everyone held on tight as the ship rushing inside. They had to shield their eyes from the intense brightness as they entered. When everything felt safe, they looked up and marveled at the sight that is Sin.

"No wonder this thing is so big. There's a lot of space in here." Sora commented.

"Come on. We must go to Jetch. He is waiting for us." Auron said as he made his way into the airship.

…

…

…

They were beginning their journey to Jetch when Ke'Ania stopped.

"What's the matter?" Donald asked.

She didn't answer. Instead, she continued to look around until she turned to face the left. Yuna walked over to her and place a hand on her shoulder. "You sense him too?" Ke'Ania nodded at Yuna's words.

"You sense someone other than my old man?"

Ke'Ania nodded. "Seymour is alive… somewhere…" Her red eyes were searching for her enemy.

"What?! Seymour's still alive?! I thought we killed that bastard!" Sora growled with his fists clenched.

"Well apparently he doesn't believe in death. So this time around… _**we're going to MAKE him understand.**_" Ke'Ania smirked.

"We'll most likely meet him the further we travel. Keep a look out everyone." Lulu warned.

…

…

…

Time seemed lost to them. They didn't know how long they were inside of Sin, but when Ke'Ania's body tensed, they knew that Seymour was close.

"Ke'Ania!" Everyone shouted when she ran up a set of stairs.

When they got up there, she was huffing and puffing. The grip on her Keyblades turned her knuckles white and she wore a scowl on her face.

"_**You know… even the Darkness you work for knows when to quit. So why don't you take a hint."**_ She growled.

"Such a rude child. Hasn't anyone taught you any manors." Seymour smirked.

"What are you still doing here, Seymour? Why haven't you gone to the Farplane?" Yuna glared as she moved to stand next to Ke'Ania.

"Ah, it's always nice to see the two Pure Heart Princesses together. Protecting each other from my companions, master, and I. It warms my heart to see such a pathetic sight." The blue haired man smiled. "But, as for why I am here, it is simple. I have been asked to bring both Lady Yuna and Princess Ke'Ania to the Darkness so that we may open Kingdom Hearts. But, before I do so, I must get to Sir Jetch and us him to control Sin. I will use it to destroy and save Spira. I will take away their suffering and build it anew."

"_**You'll only succeed over my dead body."**_ Ke'Ania growled.

"Then it shall be done. Consider yourselves saved." Seymour laughed as he began to change. His body grew and turned transparent while four reels with four different elements on them. _** "Give yourselves to me."**_

"Never." All of them shouted.

"_**Then you shall all burn."**_

With a wave of his hand, four fireballs appeared and were thrown at them. They managed to dodge them without getting burned. Ke'Ania and Sora rushed at him. Their Keyblades went right them, so Ke'Ania tried her claws. They did nothing either.

"_**Damnit! How the hell are we supposed to beat this bastard if we can't touch him?"**_ Ke'Ania asked in frustration.

"By using the opposite element of the element on the reels. It's fire, so we have to use ice against him." Lulu ordered.

Yuan, Lulu, Donald, and Ke'Ania used their ice elements to weaken Seymour with. "Wait!" Everyone turned to Yuna. "Stand back. There is one aeon that I need to summon right now.

Everyone nodded and stepped back. Yuna used her Nirvana to summon Anima. Seymour's eyes widen at this. Never in all his years would he have thought that he would fight his mother's aeon.

"_**You will challenge me too? Then so be it… Mother."**_

Seymour used his reels to change the element. This time, he aimed four lightning bolts at the aeon. Anima grunted in pain at the feeling of the bolts hitting it. It turned to look at Seymour before it used its power to use Oblivion on the villain. When the attack was over, Seymour's body began to shake and disappear with Pyreflies surrounding him and the reels. _**"No! I was supposed to be Spira's savior! I was supposed to send you two to Maleficent! Now, I am dying… all because you used my Mother against me… Why Mother… Why…"**_

Everyone watched as the villain disappeared in the mass of Pyreflies. Once he was gone, Ke'Ania's red eyes scanned the area until they turned green, he body relaxed, and her Keyblades disappeared.

"He's gone." She turned and smiled at Yuna. "You're safe."

Yuna nodded before turning to Anima and smiling. "Thank you, Anima. I will use you again in the fight against Yu Yevon."

Anima blinked as it disappeared. "Come on. We should continue onward." Auron suggested.

…

…

…

The group of eleven made their way further into Sin. They fought a few Sinspawn that were randomly roaming around until they finally reached a city like structure. They got lost a few times, but they finally found the exit.

"So we're here… Where's Jetch?" Tidus asked.

"We have to wait." Auron said calmly.

"For what?" Rikku questioned.

Suddenly, a giant rock structure fell from the sky and landed in the ground. The impact of the rock structure landing knocked everyone, except Auron to their feet.

"Our ride's here." Auron smirked coolly.

"Excuse me, Sir Auron. I don't see how this will take us to Sir Jetch."

"You'll see when we get inside, Yuna." Auron replied as he led the group inside the structure.

…

…

…

"Whoa. What is this place?" Rikku asked in amazement.

"This is an enchanted forest. A mock of Macalania Woods, if it suits you better. Once we leave here, Jetch's waiting place will be our next destination." Auron explained.

"Ok, so how do we get out of here?" Tidus questioned.

Auron took two steps, stopped and looked around until he spotted what he was looking for. "There. You see those glowing orbs? That is what we must use to get home." Everyone remained quiet as they watched the older guardian walk over to the glowing orb. He bent down to pick it up before picking it up and showing them. "Each one of us has to collect one of these orbs. Once all of us have one, the forest will react and teleport us to where Jetch awaits."

"Sounds simple enough." Sora said as he laced his fingers together and placed them behind his head.

"But one thing you have to be careful. There are random times when ice icicles will rise from the ground. Not only are they dangerous, but if one is even slightly touched… a strong fiend will appear and decrease our chances of seeing Jetch." Auron informed them. "Better hurry. The more we wait around here, the more Jetch loses himself to Yu Yevon's corruption."

Everyone looked around the enchanted forest to find more shiny orbs. Everyone found one, but some almost came into contact with a few ice icicles. Luckily everyone was safe and sound when the forest teleported them to another place.

…

…

…

"This… is the Blitzball stadium in Zanarkand." Tidus whispered in shock.

"You sure?" Wakka asked in disbelief.

"Well, this is what it looked like when I saw Sin destroy it in my Dream Zanarkand." Tidus answered.

"Look!" Yuna pointed a head of them. There, with his arms crossed, Jetch stood and smirked at the group of eleven.

"Dad?"

Jetch's smile widen a little bit as he took a few steps forward. "It's good to finally see you again… son."

"Jetch. It's been too long." Auron smiled as he stepped forward.

"Yeas Auron, it has." Jetch nodded while looking at the group behind his old friend. "Thank you for fulfilling my wish. I knew you could."

"It's the least I can do for an old friend." The older guardian smirked.

"Sir Jetch…?" Yuna called out, moving to stand next to Tidus.

"Is that you, Yuna?" The summoner nodded. "Wow, look at you. You're all grown up. Braska would be proud to see you."

"Sir Jetch… I came here to~"

"Finish me off. Yeah I know, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Jetch turned away, with his back towards them. "Well then, let's get started."

"Wait!" Tidus yelled, causing Jetch to turn around. "There's something I want to say before we do…" The dirty blond guardian took a deep breath before speaking. "I hate you. I hate you so much."

Jetch took in Tidus's words with a sad smile and a small chuckle. "I already figured as much. I didn't expect you to come here and give me a big hug saying that you missed and love me. You probably hate me so much, you probably want me dead."

"That's not true… At least, not anymore." Tidus whispered lowly.

"It's a feeling that I caused so I'll take the full blame. But, now is not the time for this. Now, you must kill me and end the Fayths' dreaming. They're counting on all of you, and so am I. I can't hear the Hymn that well anymore, so I don't know how much longer I can keep this control. But, once it starts, all my self-control will be out the window. I won't be able to hold back. All I ask, is that all of you come out of this safely." Jetch informed. He waited for everyone to nod in agreement before walking to the edge. "Alright then… Let's get started."

Jetch crossed his wrists over his chest and began to shake. When he jerked his hands away, his chest was glowing. Jetch began to stumble before falling. As he watched his father fall backwards, Tidus ran for him with his hand extended. He wanted to save him, but he was too late. Jetch has fallen. The deeper he fell, the more his body began to glow until rays of light shot out of his body. Everyone gasped when they felt the ground beneath their feet shake.

"What out, Tidus!" Yuna yelled when she saw a giant hand reach for the edge.

Tidus jumped back and avoided being squashed by the hand. Yuna ran to help him stand while everyone watched as the newly transformed Jetch rose before them. While swallowing their fear, everyone readied their weapons except for Tidus. He stood in shock and slight fear at his 'father'.

"Tidus, get up. You have to end his suffering. Don't just sit there and do nothing." Auron commanded.

Tidus gave one final look at Jetch before standing and gripping his sword in one hand. "You're right. Alright everyone. Let's end this!" He turned to face his father with a determined look on his face. "Give us all you got, Dad."

Jetch gave a mighty roar as he brought his hand down and snatched Yuna.

"Yuna!" Tidus shouted.

"_**Kimahri give lift."**_

The Ronso kneeled down and cupped his hand. Tidus ran towards Kimahri. And, when he stepped onto Kimahri's hand, the Ronso launched Tidus into the air. The dirty blond yelled as he flew towards the hand that held his love. When he got close enough, he used his sword to slice Jetch's hand off at the wrist. Jetch howled in pain as he held his bleeding wrist. Yuna screamed while she was falling. The hand that had a grip on her, loosened and was now falling under her. Tidus grunted when he used Jetch's wrist to propel off of it and fly towards Yuna. He grabbed her and held her tight as they fell.

"I've got you." Lulu said while making an ice slide.

Tidus landed on the ice slide and slid down it with Yuna until they hit the ground.

"Thank you." Yuna panted.

"I'm sorry, old friend." Auron whispered before running up to Jetch.

He yelled as he brought his sword down and made a clean slice in the aeon's torso. Rikku came up behind him, with her lightning covered weapon, and slammed her fist into the wound Auron created. Jetch hissed in pain at the feeling of lightning coursing through his body. He was about to bring his hand down, but Wakka throw his ball in his face to stop him. Lulu decided to go next. She used her Onion Knight to create two fireballs, like she did with both Sin's arms, and threw them in the aeon's face. Jetch put his large hand over his face and slightly stumbled. When he was stead again, Jetch removed his hand. He gave a mighty roar as his chest began to glow. With the one hand he had, Jetch reached into his chest and pulled out a long sword.

"Don't let him use that sword!" Auron shouted.

"_**Kimahri will stop him."**_

The Ronso used his Spirit Lance to jump off the ground and stab Jetch in the same wound Rikku shocked him in. When his lance was in Jetch's body deep enough, he grunted as he ripped it out sideways, creating a deep wound and more bleeding. Goofy was about to through his shield, but Donald stopped him to add ice to it. Once the shield was completely covered in a thick layer of ice, Goofy spun around for a few minutes before throwing it. The ice covered shield tore through Jetch's skin as if it were wet paper. After the shield went around all of Jetch's lower torso, it returned to Goofy's hand.

"Ready for some team work?" Sora smirked as he held up his hand.

Ke'Ania nodded and placed her Lovely Keyblade in her left hand with her Yin-Yang Keyblade and clapped her hand with his. "You bet."

Both teens raced towards the large aeon and used to Ke'Ania's control over the wind element to lift them higher. Sora used his Keyblade to create the large fireball. Ke'Ania connected her two blades together, added lightning, and threw them into the ball. Once it was ready, Sora sent the ball Ke'Ania's way. The long haired brunette raised her leg and kicked the ball into Jetch. The aeons howled louder than ever before at the feeling of being sliced, electrocuted, and burned. Ke'Ania and Sora watched as their attack worked against their enemy. They landed on the ground when the attack was done and received their Keyblades.

Jetch slammed his sword forward and stuck it into the ground while panting. After a few more Jetch's body fell forward and began to disappear. While the Pyreflies came out of his body, Yu Yevon took this opportunity to fly out of Jetch's body.

"We did it!" Rikku cheered along with Ke'Ania, Sora, Wakka, Donald, and Goofy.

"Dad!" Tidus yelled as he ran over to his father's limp form.

Everyone watched with sadden eyes at the scene on Tidus holding his dying father. "Stop crying. You're always crying. I thought I told you to stop crying, ya cry baby." Jetch said with a sad smile.

"I hate you, Dad." Tidus cried.

"Save it for later, Tidus. You, Yuna, Auron, and the rest of your group still have to finish off Yu Yevon. You still have to end the Fayths' dreaming. How are you supposed to do that if you keep crying."

"Will I… ever see you again?" Tidus asked.

"Once you defeat Yu Yevon, Sin will die and Yuna will have to perform the Sending. Once that happens, you, Auron, Sin, Yu Yevon, and all of the aeons will come to the Farplane. There… we'll be able talk and do all of the father son stuff you've always wanted." Jetch chuckled, but stopped and began to cough.

"Dad?!"

"I'll be fine. Go. Finish the job and I'll see you on the Farplane." Were Jetch's last words before his body started to disappear.

"Goodbye, Father." Tidus whispered with his head lowered.

"Um guys? Yu Yevon is acting weird." Rikku pointed out with panic in her voice.

Everyone turned to watch as the ball of dark energy flew around rapidly until it touched the top of Jetch's sword. When it did, a bright light lit everything up and forced the group of eleven to cover their eyes. They were feeling a weird tingling sensation and before they knew it… everything went dark.

…

…

…

"What happened?" Ke'Ania groaned as she tried to stand along with the rest of the group.

"I don't know, but where's Yu Yevon?" Rikku asked in a panic.

"He's still flying around above us." Yuna answered.

"Ugh, rotten pest." Wakka growled while shaking his fist angrily.

"This is no time for idle chit chat. We must take do Yu Yevon now before it gets away." Auron commanded.

"Right. I will summon the aeons, and when I do… I want everyone to be ready." Yuna ordered. Everyone nodded and readied themselves. Yuna took a deep breath before summoning Valfore. As soon as Valfore arrived, Yu Yevon took hold of her body. "I'm sorry about this, girl." Yuna sighed.

"_**Kimahri will take care of Valfore."**_

The dark version of the aeon roared loudly before thrusting its wings forward and blowing a gust of wind at the Ronso. Kimahri used his Spirit Lance to hold him still against the hard wind. Once it was gone, He ran for the aeon. He brought his lance upright and made a nice gash in its torso. Valfore screeched at the feeling of being sliced opened. She used his wings to cover the bleeding wound, completely ignoring Kimahri. This gave the Ronso time to jump off the ground and impaled Valfore in the back. It didn't take long for the aeon to stop screeching before it started to disappear in a group of Pyreflies. Now it was time for Ifrit. Yuna shook her head slowly as she summoned the flaming aeon. And just as Yu Yevon possessed Valfore, it did the same with Ifrit.

"Allow me to sooth its pain." Lulu said, stepping forward to stand tall against the fire aeon.

Ifrit opened his mouth to unleash a Meteor Strike. Before it could reach her, Lulu quickly put up a wall of ice. It didn't reach her, but it did melt most of her wall.

"Be careful, Lu." Wakka said in panic.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." She said, not looking at him.

Lulu clapped her hands together and quietly chanted a spell. Her hands began to glow white. Once they were completely white, she bent down and allowed her Onion Knight to touch them with its sword. Soon they became consumed in ice. Being satisfied with the results, Lulu slammed her hands on the ground. A trail of ice ran from her hands to Ifrit's feet. The aeon growled and howled in pain at the feeling of the burning ice clamping onto its flesh. Soon Lulu's ice covered Ifrit's body completely and turned it into a statue. After she was sure Ifrit was completely frozen, Lulu removed her hands from the ground, created an ice spear, and threw it at the statue. The spear pierced the ice sculpture, shattering it completely. Pyreflies flew from the shattered remains of Ifrit until there was nothing left. Once that was over, Yuna began to summon Ixion. Yu Yevon took over its body the minute its hooves touched the ground.

"I wanna take this." Ke'Ania said boldly.

"Are you sure?" Sora asked.

"I got this. No problem." She smirked before moving to stand in front of the group.

Ixion neighed as it rose on its back legs and waved its front ones. It stomped its front legs down and used its horn to shot lightning at Ke'Ania. The demon girl rolled around and dodged all of the strikes until one hit her and made her fall to her knees.

"Ke'Ania! You ok?!" Sora yelled.

"Don't worry, Sora. You forgot." She slightly turned to look at her crush with black and yellow eyes. _**"Lightning is me main element."**_ She stood up with lightning coursing over her entire body. She took a deep breath before waving her hand and dismissing the lightning. _**"Alright you over grown horse."**_ Ke'Ania smirked as she swirled her hands around in a circle until a ball of water formed in her hand. _**"Time to drink up."**_

The horse was neighing again wildly. Ke'Ania waited for the right moment to strike. When it came, she used her fingers to create a line of water coming out at the top of the ball. She flung it forward until it entered its mouth. She used her fingers to keep feeding the water until Ixion's knees buckled and it fell on the ground. When she thought Ixion had enough, Ke'Ania dispelled her water ball. Ixion began to cough and cough until it finally fell over and the Pyreflies appeared. Yuna used her staff to summon Shiva next. It was Donald who waited for Shiva to be possessed before he stepped forward.

"Be careful, Donald." Goofy called out.

"I'll have her beat in no time. Just you watch." Donald smirked.

Shiva raised her hand and dropped it, causing a few hail rocks to fall as well. Donald moved out of the way of the falling rocks without getting hit. Once the rocks stopped falling, Donald raised his staff and created six icicles. He thrusted his wrist forward, making them fly at her and trap her within them. After she was captured, Donald created a giant fireball and hurled it at her. The aeon screamed as she was burned. The flames soon disappeared and revealed that the ice icicles were melted and a collapsed Shiva. Pyreflies and Yu Yevon flew out of her body until there was nothing left. Yuna stepped up again and summoned Bahamut.

"Let me send this one off." Auron said as he stepped in front of the aeon with his sword readied. Bahamut roared loudly as it looked at Auron. "Let's see what you've got."

Bahamut raised its hand to swipe Auron away, but he used his sword to stop it. The older guardian struggled a little with the strong hand, but was able to push it back before stabbing it in its foot. Bahamut screeched as it bent down to carter its foot, but Auron took the opportunity to stab it in its chest. Bahamut's body went still upon the impact of Auron's sword in its chest before it finally went limp and started to disappear. Yuna waited until Bahamut was gone to summon Yojimbo. After Yu Yevon possessed Yojimbo, Rikku stood up with Godhand gripped in her hand tightly.

"Alright, big boy. It's just you and me." The blond said as she added lightning to her weapon.

Yojimbo pulled out his sword and moved to attack her. Rikku used her Godhand to go toe-to-toe with the aeon. Rikku felt her body begin to crush under the pressure from the sword, but she was able to push back and break the hold. This made the samurai aeon to stumble backwards and gave Rikku and opening. She brought her leg up and kicked him in the stomach. When Yojimbo bent over, Rikku grabbed his head and brought it to hit her knee. This made him stumble backwards. While he was doing this, Rikku activated some mechanism that made two spikes shot out on the edge of her Godhand. More lightning coursed over her Godhand before she ran towards him. Yojimbo didn't have time to react when the spikes of Yojimbo's Godhand entered his stomach and shock him from the inside out. After a few moments, Rikku removed her weapon and watched as he fell to the floor and begin to disappear. Once he was gone, Yuna summoned the Magus Sisters.

"I'll take the bee one." Wakka said, gripping his ball.

"I'll take the tall one." Sora announced with his Keyblade in his hand.

"So that leaves the lady bug one to me." Goofy laughed.

Mindy, the bee aeon, turned around and shot her needles at them. They ran from them until she was done. While she was reloading, Wakka placed his ball on the ground and began to spin it. Once it was rotating fast enough, he raised his foot and kicked it with a lot of force into Mindy. The bee flew back and stayed down.

"One down, two to go." Wakka cheered.

Sora decided that he wanted go next. He ran towards Sandy with great speed. The pragmatism used the blades running along her arms to block his Keyblade. Sora used all of his strength to push against her hold, but it wouldn't break. Sandy was the one to break it. She moved her hands out of the way, stumbling Sora, and jabbed her hand into his stomach. Sora gasped as he fell to his knees and started coughing.

"Sora!" Ke'Ania cried out to him.

"I'm fine. She just caught me off guard." Sora said in a horse voice. He slowly stood up and shook off the pain in his stomach.

Sora ran for her again. She used on arm to block him this time. The other hand thrusted forward to hit him, but he turned to the side and dodged it before returning the punch and actually hitting her. She stumbled back, holding her face, instead of dodging his Keyblade. Sora thrusted his Keyblade into her stomach and pierced it. Sandy gasped at the feeling of Sora's Keyblade within her stomach. When Sora pulled it out, she fell to the ground.

"Your turn Goofy. Take her out." Sora smiled.

"You got it buddy." Goofy returned.

As fast as Goofy could, he ran towards Cindy. The lady bug aeon stumped the ground hard and made Goofy lose his footing. Cindy was about to jump and land on him, but Goofy was able to roll out of the way in time. That's when he jumped to his feet. He threw his shield at the last of the sisters and it hit her in the head. Cindy fell on her back and didn't get up. Once all of the sisters were down, the Pyreflies flew out of their bodies and so did Yu Yevon.

"There's only one aeon left… Anima… and I want to be the one who puts her out of her misery." Yuna said to her guardians. After everyone nodded in agreement, she summoned the aeon. Yu Yevon took over her. Yuna swallowed a large lump in her throat as she stood to fight the aeon alone. "I know that you're in pain… I'm going to be the one to take it all away." She raised her staff and spun it around with her hand below it. Soon the top of her staff turned white. She stopped her spinning staff to hold it in front of her with a tight grip. "With this attack, Holy, I set you free." She looked into Anima's eyes before slamming her staff into the ground.

White light shot from her staff and into the air. The light spun around until it formed into one giant ball of white light. With a heavy heart, Yuna brought her staff down. When her staff came down, the giant ball of light went from being in the sky to running through Anima's chest. The fish-like aeon screeched in pain from the affects of Holy, but before she disappeared, Yuna could've sworn that he heard it say 'thank you'. Everyone watched as Anima disappeared with Yu Yevon and Pyreflies coming out of it. Yu Yevon began to fly around until it finally stopped a few feet in front of them and transformed into a dark flee like creature.

"That's Yu Yevon? Kind of a letdown if you ask me." Rikku shrugged with her Godhand ready to attack.

"Quick! Yu Yevon may not have anymore aeons to bond with, but we still cannot let him escape!" Auron commanded.

"No. Everyone, stay back. I want to be the one to defeat Yu Yevon. The Fayth asked me to end their dream, so that's what I'm going to do." Tidus said as he held his sword tightly in his hands and made his way to the front of the group. "I know that it sounds selfish, but this is my story… and I want to put an ending to it."

Yuna stared at his back for a little bit before moving to place her hands on his shoulder. Tidus was about to tell Yuna to not say anything about it, but when he turned his head… she was smiling at him. "Good luck." Was all she said.

Confusion ran over Tidus's face, but soon he began to understand. With a smile of his own, Tidus returned the smile while using his hand to remove hers gently. "I will." Yuna's smile widen slightly as she moved to stand with the rest of the group. Once she was within a safe distance, Tidus turned a glare towards the flee known as Yu Yevon. "Alright you overgrown flee… prepare to be erased from Spira's future!"

Tidus's feet picked up speed as he ran towards Yu Yevon. When he was close enough, Tidus swung his sword to slice Yu Yevon, but a strong barrier collided with his sword instead and forced Tidus to fly backwards.

"Tidus!" Yuna shouted in panic.

Kimahri was the one to catch him before he hit the ground. "Thanks Kimahri, but I'm fine." The Ronso nodded as he set the dirty blond guardian onto the ground.

"What was that barrier just now?" Rikku asked as she ran over to his side.

"Yu Yevon is the creator of Sin, so it would only make sense that he has a strong barrier protecting him." Auron informed.

"So I'm guessing normal magic won't work against it." Lulu sighed.

"Then what do we do? If we can't use normal magic, and Tidus's weapon is useless against it, how are we supposed to defeat it?" Sora questioned in slight panic.

Yuna thought for a few minutes before coming up with a solution. "I think I might know of an idea."

"You do? What is it?"

Yuna walked forward, temporally ignoring Wakka's question to place her hands on his blade. Everyone watched as her hands and Caladbolg glow bright with a very light pink, almost white, color.

"I know what she's doing." Ke'Ania said suddenly. "She's adding her Pure Heart Princess powers to his blade."

"But why? What good will that do?" Tidus asked.

"A Pure Heart Princess's powers are one of the most power types of magic in the whole universe and technically… it's other worldly. As you all already know, only a select few in the whole universe have this type of magic, making it rare and powerful. If Yuna adds this magic to Tidus's blade~"

"Then he'll be able to pierce Yu Yevon's barrier." Yuna finished before standing. "There you go. Now, defeat Yu Yevon."

Tidus looked at his glowing Caladbolg, amazed at the new power coursing through the blade and his arm. Feeling excited from the new feeling, Tidus turned towards Yuna with a wide smirk. "Thank Yuna! Now, Yu Yevon, prepare yourself!"

Tidus gave a mighty roar as he raced towards Yu Yevon once again. The closer he got to the flee, the faster he willed his feet to run. Once he was close enough, Tidus jumped up and brought his sword on top of the barrier. That barrier around Yu Yevon stood strong against Tidus's Caladbolg, but when Tidus added a little extra strength, it shattered and forced Yu Yevon and Tidus to the floor. Tidus looked down and saw that the powerful flee was under him and trying to escape.

"Oh no you don't!" Tidus yelled as he brought his sword down to stab it in its center. The flee squirmed and screeched in agony before finally stopping and disappearing in a cloud of Pyreflies.

"It's finally over." Tidus panted while falling to sit on his butt.

The rest of the group began celebrating their victory over their powerful enemy. Yuna even ran up to him and started hugging him around his neck with tears in her eyes. They continued to celebrate until the ground began to shake.

"What's happening?!" Sora shouted while holding Ke'Ania close.

"It's Sin! Because we defeated Yu Yevon, Sin is dying! We have to get out of here!" Auron commanded.

"How do we do that?!" Lulu questioned sacredly as she tightened her grip on Wakka's overalls.

"Look! There's a portal! Let's hurry!" Rikku screamed.

Sora, Ke'Ania, Tidus, Yuna Wakka, and Lulu all held hands as they ran through the portal. The ground around them began collapsing. When they exited the enchanted forest and wound back up in front of the city's exit, the airship was waiting for them.

"**HURRY! SIN IS GOING DOWN! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"** Cid shouted through the intercom.

The group didn't need to be told twice as they ran onto the ship. They ran all the way to the bridge as Brother piloted the ship out of Sin. When the ship was safely out of Sin, everyone watched as the giant armored beast began fall and as the Farplane began forming around them.

"Well you eleven did it… I'm very proud of you." Cid said calmly with tears sliding down his cheeks. All of the Al Bhed and some of the group began cheering again, but stopped when Yuna spoke.

"Wait, there is still something I need to do. I must perform one last Sending." She said before turning to Ke'Ania with a smile. "Would you like to help me?"

Ke'Ania smiled as she turned to place her hands on Yuna's shoulders. "I'd be honored."

…

…

…

Everyone stood on top of the ship and watched as Yuna and Ke'Ania began to dance. Sin's emptied body, all of the aeons, and the Farplane we before them. Both girls danced their hearts out, making sure to never miss a step. But, when they turned around, Auron began to disappear.

"Sir Auron?" Yuna gasped.

"Don't stop. It is my time to go. I've over stayed my welcome here in Spira. I've done my job here and I must say. Jetch, Braska, and I could never be more proud." The older guardian smiled as he stepped forward.

He stopped in front of Kimahri. The Ronso nodded one long nod with a slight smile. Auron smiled back before hitting his solidly. He kept walking, but stopped when Rikku stepped in front of him.

"Hey listen. Despite having our differences in the beginning… I just want to say… that you weren't so bad after all. I'm glad that I got to meet and fight alongside you." Rikku smiled.

Auron felt a sense of warmness in his chest as he stared at the 15 year old girl. The smile on his face widened more before putting a hand on her shoulder. "You weren't so bad yourself. You'll be alright, I know that for sure. And… make sure that you take care of your cousin."

"I will." Rikku smiled as she moved out of his way.

Auron gave one final nod to everyone before stopping at the edge of the ship. The girls began to dance again. Auron tilted his head up as he felt his body disappear. The Pyreflies started at his feet and right when they reached his neck, Auron turned to Tidus and said, "I'll see you on the other side."

Tidus nodded while watching his caretaker disappear out of their sights forever. The girls continued to dance until all that remained was the Farplane. By time the girls finished, Tidus's body began to fade. The dirty blond male looked down and saw that he was disappearing. When he looked back up, Yuna was in front of him with a sad expression. She just shook her head violently, not caring if her hair smacked her in the face.

"Don't go." She said sadly.

"Sorry Yuna, but I have to." Tidus smiled sadly. Yuna lowered her head slowly. Seeing this, Tidus walked up to her, lifted her chin and whipped away her tears away. "Don't cry." She touched his hand and looked shock when her hand went through his. At this, Tidus slowly removed his hand and let it hang at his side. "I'm sorry that I couldn't show you my Zanarkand, but at least now… I know you'll be happy." He turned towards everyone in the group with a large, warming smile. "Goodbye everyone. It's been fun." Was all he said before walking to the edge of the ship.

"We'll see you again. Count on it!" Rikku yelled.

Ke'Ania was sad at how everything turned out. Sure they defeated Sin, Seymour, and the Darkness in this world, but seeing how sad Yuna was made her sad. She couldn't imagine not knowing if she'll ever see Sora again, and she didn't want to. But seeing Yuna going through this was heart wrenching. She only hoped that Yuna remained true to her word and would find Tidus later in life. Sora felt the same sadness and moved to hold her hand. They turned their fingers so that they were laced together as they watched the scene before them.

Yuna watched the love of her life walk away. She couldn't watch it any further, so she decided to race after him. She didn't care that Kimahri was calling her. The only thing she wanted was to be with Tidus and have him hold her until the end of time. But, when she reached her, Yuna fell right through him.

"Yuna!" Everyone gasped when she passed through him and fell to the ground.

More Pyreflies came out of Tidus's body after she fell, making him sadder. That event told him that he really was disappearing and that this was the end of their story. He couldn't face her. Tidus lowered his head and began to cry, but stopped when Yuna stood up and said in a loud enough voice. "I love you."

This made Tidus turn around in shock. She kept her back towards him. She couldn't face him either. So, he did the last thing he could. He walked up behind her and hugged her around her neck while also burying his face in her hair.

"I love you too." He whispered in her ear.

"I'll find you and I will find a way to bring you back. I promise that I will see you again." She said determinedly.

He nodded into her hair before letting go and walking forward. He was almost at the edge of the ship when they felt a dark presence.

"_**What a nice ending. It makes me sick."**_

Everyone turned around to see Maleficent standing behind them. _**"What are you doing here, you old witch."**_ Ke'Ania growled as she summoned her Keyblades.

"_**Oh no reason, dear child. I just came here to collect my prize since a poor villain couldn't do it."**_ The witch smirked before thrusting her staff forward.

Darkness surrounded Yuna and began pulling her into the Darkness. Everyone tried to help, but Maleficent casted a dark spell that immobilized them. "Yuna!" Tidus yelled as he ran towards her.

"Tidus!" Yuna screamed while reaching out to him.

He was about to reach her, but Maleficent interfered. _**"I don't think so."**_ She smirked as she pointed a finger at him.

With her power, Maleficent forced him backwards and caused him to fall over into the Farplane. "Tidus!" Yuna yelled before she was finally pulled into the Darkness.

"Yuna!" Ke'Ania yelled, trying to break free, but she couldn't. The spell was too powerful.

Maleficent began to laugh as she moved towards Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. _**"You younglings can't stop me and never will. I am all powerful and with your help…"**_ She turned towards Ke'Ania with an evil smirk. _**"I'll be able to complete my plans."**_ She moved away from the group of four and opened a portal. Before going through, she turned towards everyone and released her spell. _**"I'll see you soon, Ke'Ania."**_

The demon girl ran towards her portal, but fell when she reached it. The only sounds in the atmosphere were Ke'Ania's growls and Maleficent's wicked laughter. Ke'Ania laid on the ground, her fists clenched and beating the ship's outside. Sora was worried about her when he moved to comfort her. She was cursing and crying into the ship's outer metal. Donald called for the Gummi Ship. When it arrived, Donald turned towards them and announced the ship's arrival.

"Ke'Ania, we have to go." Sora whispered to her.

She nodded before standing. She walked towards the ship, but stopped when she placed one foot on the boarding plank. She turned towards the sobbing group, they were about to leave, with determination on her face.

"I promise that we'll bring Yuna back… no matter what…" Everyone whipped away their tears as they nodded at Ke'Ania's promise. She turned back to board the ship with clenched fists. _**"I hate that damn witch."**_

…

…

…

**To Be Continued…**

…

**Next Time on**_** 'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

The gang is finally gone from Spira and is moving onto the next world.


	37. Understanding Love on Indian Reserve

**Warnings for This Chapter: **Battle, confessions, almost execution, danger.

**Author Notes:**

Sorry for not updating like I want to, but I hope this makes up for it.

This new chapter is for _**Hsword**_. Thanks for the review I hope you like it.

**Beta: **_**Sasunaru217**_

**Last Time on **_**"Secret Kingdom Hearts"**_

Ke'Ania was sad at how everything turned out. Sure they defeated Sin, Seymour, and the Darkness in this world, but seeing how sad Yuna was made her sad. She couldn't imagine not knowing if she'll ever see Sora again, and she didn't want to. But seeing Yuna going through this was heart wrenching. She only hoped that Yuna remained true to her word and would find Tidus later in life. Sora felt the same sadness and moved to hold her hand. They turned their fingers so that they were laced together as they watched the scene before them.

Yuna watched the love of her life walk away. She couldn't watch it any further, so she decided to race after him. She didn't care that Kimahri was calling her. The only thing she wanted was to be with Tidus and have him hold her until the end of time. But, when she reached her, Yuna fell right through him.

"Yuna!" Everyone gasped when she passed through him and fell to the ground.

More Pyreflies came out of Tidus's body after she fell, making him sadder. That event told him that he really was disappearing and that this was the end of their story. He couldn't face her. Tidus lowered his head and began to cry, but stopped when Yuna stood up and said in a loud enough voice. "I love you."

This made Tidus turn around in shock. She kept her back towards him. She couldn't face him either. So, he did the last thing he could. He walked up behind her and hugged her around her neck while also burying his face in her hair.

"I love you too." He whispered in her ear.

"I'll find you and I will find a way to bring you back. I promise that I will see you again." She said determinedly.

He nodded into her hair before letting go and walking forward. He was almost at the edge of the ship when they felt a dark presence.

"_**What a nice ending. It makes me sick."**_

Everyone turned around to see Maleficent standing behind them. _**"What are you doing here, you old witch."**_ Ke'Ania growled as she summoned her Keyblades.

"_**Oh no reason, dear child. I just came here to collect my prize since a poor villain couldn't do it."**_ The witch smirked before thrusting her staff forward.

Darkness surrounded Yuna and began pulling her into the Darkness. Everyone tried to help, but Maleficent casted a dark spell that immobilized them. "Yuna!" Tidus yelled as he ran towards her.

"Tidus!" Yuna screamed while reaching out to him.

He was about to reach her, but Maleficent interfered. _**"I don't think so."**_ She smirked as she pointed a finger at him.

With her power, Maleficent forced him backwards and caused him to fall over into the Farplane. "Tidus!" Yuna yelled before she was finally pulled into the Darkness.

"Yuna!" Ke'Ania yelled, trying to break free, but she couldn't. The spell was too powerful.

Maleficent began to laugh as she moved towards Ke'Ania, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. _**"You younglings can't stop me and never will. I am all powerful and with your help…"**_ She turned towards Ke'Ania with an evil smirk. _**"I'll be able to complete my plans."**_ She moved away from the group of four and opened a portal. Before going through, she turned towards everyone and released her spell. _**"I'll see you soon, Ke'Ania."**_

The demon girl ran towards her portal, but fell when she reached it. The only sounds in the atmosphere were Ke'Ania's growls and Maleficent's wicked laughter. Ke'Ania laid on the ground, her fists clenched and beating the ship's outside. Sora was worried about her when he moved to comfort her. She was cursing and crying into the ship's outer metal. Donald called for the Gummi Ship. When it arrived, Donald turned towards them and announced the ship's arrival.

"Ke'Ania, we have to go." Sora whispered to her.

She nodded before standing. She walked towards the ship, but stopped when she placed one foot on the boarding plank. She turned towards the sobbing group, they were about to leave, with determination on her face.

"I promise that we'll bring Yuna back… no matter what…" Everyone whipped away their tears as they nodded at Ke'Ania's promise. She turned back to board the ship with clenched fists. _**"I hate that damn witch."**_

**Onto New Chapter of **_**"Secret Kingdom Hearts"**_**…**

**Chapter 33: Understanding Love on Indian Reserve**

**Normal P.O.V.**

It had been a long night for them, especially for Ke'Ania. Having watch another princess, nay another friend, be taken away by the Darkness was enough to drive her to insanity. That scene where Maleficent made her powerless to save Yuna kept playing in her head. The fear in Yuna's orbs and the pain in Ke'Ania's heart made her question why she was even there and who she was.

Feeling bothered, Ke'Ania sat up in her bed, threw her covers off and left her room. With her white irises, she walked around the quiet, dark ship until she entered the living room. Just like her eyes, the room was emptied. She walked over to the window and placed her hand on the cool surface with a sigh.

"_Why? Why was I chosen? Why would I be chosen as a Pure Heart Princess and a Keyblade Wielder if all I've been doing is fail? Is life just playing another sick trick on me? This job… it's changed me so much to the point I don't even know who I am anymore. I may the power to protect people, but it just seems like the Darkness will always win. Sometimes… I feel like Sora, Donald, and Goofy would be able to do a better job without me here to fuck everything up. Maybe I should just go back to Travers Town and wait for them to just save everyone. Who knows maybe our friends will show up there and we can wait on them together?"_

"_**Ke'Ania?"**_

The long haired girl turned around to see Sora standing in the doorway that leads out of the living room.

"Hey. What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep, just like you." He shrugged before moving to sit on the couch. "So, what's up?"

Ke'Ania sighed heavily as she leaned against the wall and turned her head to face the window. "I'm thinking about having you guys drop me off at Travers Town and just leaving me there."

"What? Why?" Sora asked quickly when he jumped from his seat.

"I don't… feel like I belong here. I feel like I'm holding you back. I keep fucking everything up and only getting in the way. And the worse part… At the end of everyday… we lose the princesses to the Darkness." Sora took her figure and felt bad. Her eyes were light blue, a mixture from her blank state and sadness. What she was saying… made him feel like needles were stabbing him. "I'm sorry, but I feel like staying in Travers Town is the best thing for me. Without me, you, Donald, and Goofy may have a better chance."

"That's selfish." Was all Sora could say.

"What?" Ke'Ania quickly turned around with brown eyes shining. "How am I being selfish? I'm only doing this for~"

Ke'Ania didn't finish her sentence when Sora pulled her into him. Her pink and brown eyes widen as his embrace tightened around her. It's not like they haven't hugged before, but being caught off guard like that… made time stop for her.

"Sora~"

"You're being selfish. I understand that you're frustrated with how things are turning out. But it's not all your fault. It's all of our faults. We're a team. If one of us fails then we all fail."

"Yeah but~"

"But nothing, Ke'Ania. You're part of our team. Without you, things would be a lot harder. You're not useless, you're needed. Everyone needs us. The princesses need you to help rescue them. Everyone is counting on us to defeat the Darkness. Our friends are counting on us to save them. I… I need you to help me… I… just need you…" The last part was whispered close to one of Ke'Ania's pointed ears.

Her cheeks became heated and her irises turned completely pink. With shaky hands, Ke'Ania wrapped her arms around Sora's waist and turned her head so that her cheek rested on his front.

"You really need me?" She whispered back.

"I'm always going to need you."

After hearing that… Ke'Ania's heart felt like it was on fire. "Then I guess… I'll stay…" She smiled with fuchsia eyes.

"Good." Sora smiled back.

Ke'Ania lifted her head so that they were staring into each other's eyes. Time still remained stilled until Ke'Ania moved back until she was barely in arms reach with bright fuchsia eyes and pink cheeks.

"Well, um, we better get some sleep. Can't fight Heartless tired, ya know." She nervously laughed. "Goodnight."

"Yeah. Goodnight." Sora watched her retreat silently out of the room before falling back onto the couch with a sigh. Thoughts of Ke'Ania began floating around in his head. It was at that moment, Sora noticed; "I'm not getting any sleep tonight."

…

…

…

"What gives? Did we land in some type of forest or something?" Sora asked as they wondered around a forest.

"I don't know. The radar said that this place is called Indian Reserve." Donald answered.

"Indian Reserve? Well that explains why we landed in a forest. So I'm guessing some Indians should be just beyond these trees." Ke'Ania thought before running past the remaining tress. When they finally exited the forest, they were met with the sight of a giant tree in the middle of a river. "Or not."

"Hey. Where are all the Indians?" Goofy asked.

"Probably hiding behind that tree. Come on." Donald said while running towards the tree with Goofy, Sora, and Ke'Ania following behind him.

They climbed to a stomp in front of the tree and started to look around.

"Well, looks like there's no one here. What now?" Sora questioned with his hands on his hips.

"Hey, I know this tree." Ke'Ania smiled as she walked up to it and placed her hand on its bark.

"You know this tree? What's its name? Maybe we can talk to it." Goofy suggested.

"Not this tree, specifically. I know this type of tree. It's a Willow Tree. Saedi, Raven, and I used to have one on our world. We played on it all the time. It was like our little hang out place." Ke'Ania laughed.

Everyone watch as she ran her fingers over the bark for a moment. But, when Sora looked down, he noticed one of the branches were moving.

"Ke'Ania! Watch out~" Sora couldn't finish because a branch wrapped around his shoulders and hosted him up.

"Sora~" The branch that was inching towards Ke'Ania wrapped around her waist and hosted her up too.

Donald and Goofy tried to save them, but two more branches shot out and hosted them in the air by their feet.

"Well, what do we have here? Travels from another world? You're not welcomed here." The tree spoke as an old woman's face appeared on the bark.

"Let us go. We mean you no harm." Ke'Ania begged.

"Your pleas mean nothing to me. Now parish!"

Everyone closed their eyes when more branches shot out and were about to attack them.

"_**Wait!"**_ A woman's voice shouted.

Everyone looked to see a young Indian woman with long black hair and reddish lips, a man with blond hair, a raccoon and hummingbird appeared from behind the tree.

"Pocahontas? I thought I told you to stay behind me." The tree scolded.

"Grandmother Willow, we should hear them. I don't sense any danger from these people. Let them explain their reason for being here." The girl pleased.

The willow tree looked between Pocahontas and the group of suspended teenagers before giving a loud sigh. "Fine, child. But, you've grown soft. Especially against strangers."

"Hey, I take offense to that." The blond haired man said.

"I may like you, John Smith, but that won't stop me from suspending you too." The tree glared lightly, effectively quieting the man.

The group was slightly lowered to eye level with the Indian woman and stared into her glaring eyes. "If you are true to your word and do not mean us harm, then convince me."

The group looked around, wondering who was going to speak first, before Ke'Ania decided to speak.

"You are a Pure Heart Princess, correct?"

"Yes, but how did you know that?" Pocahontas gasped.

"Because I'm one too. My name is Ke'Ania and these are my friends. Their names are Sora, Donald, and Goofy." She said while using her hand to gesture to each person. "We travel from world to world to protect it against Heartless and protect the Pure Heart Princesses of each world."

"Ah, so you're the ones I've heard stories about." John nodded.

"Grandmother Willow, please put them down. They are the ones we've been waiting for." Pocahontas pleaded.

When their feet touched the stomp, everyone sighed in relief. "Thank you." Ke'Ania nodded before gasping when a hummingbird began flying around her and squeaking. "And who's this cute little bird?"

At her words, the hummingbird stopped squeaking and smiled at Ke'Ania. "That's Flit. He's my hummingbird."

"Well he's awfully cute." Ke'Ania giggled while holding out her hand to let Flit sit on it.

"What?! Hey! Get out of there!" Sora yelled before falling into the river once the raccoon jumped off of him.

"I am so sorry about that. Are you alright?" Pocahontas asked as she helped him out of the river. "Meeko! That's not nice." The princess scolded.

"Don't worry about it. He did the same thing to me when he went searching for food in my pockets." John laughed as he patted Sora on the back. "That little raccoon is a bottomless pit I tell you."

"So, children, what brings you to our world?" Grandmother Willow asked.

"Our radar sent us in this direction. It told us that Heartless were attacking this place." Donald explained.

"Yes, but my people have been able to beat them back. So, for now, we're fine on that part." Pocahontas explained.

"Yeah. The only problem they need protecting from are my people." John said as he moved to place a hand on her shoulder.

"What do you mean?" Goofy asked.

"My people came to this place to dig up their land. My captain, Governor Ratcliffe, caught wind of gold being buried on this land, so we sailed here to find it. But, just like Pocahontas was explaining to me, apparently there is no gold here." John sighed. "Now all I have to do is try to convince my captain. Should be more fun than a barrel of monkeys."

"He won't believe you if you just talk to him?" Sora asked.

"If only it were that simple. My captain is a very… 'determined' man."

"Sounds more like an idiot to me." Ke'Ania snorted with her arms crossed.

"That too. But, no matter how much of an idiot he is, just talking to him by myself is not going to do any good I'm afraid."

"Well. What if you had some help?" Goofy suggested.

"You would come back with me to try and convince my captain?" John gasped as he stepped forward.

"Yeah sure. Goofy and I will go with you. I'm sure with the three of u, your captain has no choice but to listen to us." Sora cheered.

"I don't know Sora. I don't think I that idea." Donald said with nervousness in his voice.

"I have to agree. He could be this world's villain. What if he captures the two of you?" Ke'Ania asked in concern.

"Well, whatever you two decide to do, better be quick. I have to get back to camp before they come looking for me." John informed.

Sora turned to face Ke'Ania and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Goofy, John and I will be fine. And if her is the villain, then we'll defeat him while you and Donald stay back and protect Pocahontas."

Ke'Ania stared into Sora's big blue eyes before sighing. "Fine, but please be careful." She pleaded.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. I'll take care of them. Now, let's get going."

"John wait." Pocahontas ran us to him and grabbed his hands. "When are we going to see each other again?"

"Tonight. We'll meet here tonight. Until then, Pocahontas." John smiled softly before turning and leaving.

Sora and Goofy left after saying goodbye to Ke'Ania and Donald. Meeko shrugged his shoulders and followed the group of boys by riding on top of Sora's head. Pocahontas watched the retreating back of the boys until they were completely gone. And even then, she continued to watch.

"You love him, don't you?" Ke'Ania teased her with her hands behind her back.

Seeing her tease, Pocahontas smirked back at her with her hands folded over her chest. "The same could be said for you. You love that young brown haired boy, no?"

At this, Ke'Ania's eyes turned pink and she began stumbling over her words. "We're not talking about me here."

"But, you did not deny it." Pocahontas smirked more.

Ke'Ania's caramel cheeks began redder before she crossed her arms in a puff and turned around. She was about to start walking, but Donald's laughing stopped her. "And what are you laughing at?"

"Ke'Ania loves Sora! Ke'Ania loves Sora! Ke'Ania and Sora sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage. Then comes babies in a~"

He stopped when Ke'Ania brought her fist down and whacked him on the head. "Can we just please go to your village?"

"Follow me." Pocahontas snickered as she walked past the blushing girl and groaning duck.

Before following the group, Ke'Ania groaned with her face over her heated face. "This is going to be a long day."

…

…

…

The group traveled in silence, but once they got to the village, Ke'Ania and Donald gasped at the sight and people before them. Things, however, got awkward when the entire village stopped what they were doing to look at them.

"Why are they looking at us like that?" Donald whispered quietly.

"You are strangers to them. Don't worry, I'll tell them you're our allies." Pocahontas reassured them.

"Daughter. What is the meaning of this? Why do you bring strangers to our village?" A tall Indian man with a spear glared with a staff in his hand.

"Father. These two are the protectors of the worlds. They have come here to protect me and our world from the Heartless attack." Pocahontas explained.

The man turned to look at them intensely. To hide from his glare, Donald hid behind Ke'Ania's legs. Swallowing a large lump in her throat, Ke'Ania stepped forward to speak.

"Hello. My name is Ke'Ania, a Pure Heart Princess as well, and this is my friend Donald Duck. We come in peace."

The man continued to look at them before smiling. "It is an honor to meet you two. Please, enjoy your stay in my humble village." He said before turning around. "People! These two are welcomed guesses in our village. They will not bring us harm and I expect the same of you all." The villagers nodded and returned to their work. "I am Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas's father. Welcome brave warriors."

"It's an honor to be here, sir." Ke'Ania and Donald said in unison.

"Daughter, please show our guests around while I attend to other matters."

"Yes father." Pocahontas nodded as she watched her father leave. "I'm sorry if he frightened you."

Ke'Ania and Donald sighed in relief before puffing out their chests.

"Frightened? Us? No." Donald smiled nervously.

"Your legs are still shaking." Pocahontas laughed.

"Um, why don't you show us around your village." Ke'Ania suggested.

"Oh of course. Follow me over~"

"Pocahontas!" Someone shouted . They turned to see another Indian girl with her short hair in a ponytail. "Is it true? Are they really here?" The girl asked excitedly.

"Calm down, Nakoma. Yes, these two are the heroes we've been hearing of." Pocahontas smiled as she gestured towards them.

The girl, now known as Nakoma, moved to stand and smile in front of Ke'Ania and Donald. "Wow, who know that our heroes would be so young."

"Hi. I'm Ke'Ania and this is Donald. It's a pleasure to meet you." Ke'Ania smiled.

"Likewise. My name is Nakoma. I'm Pocahontas's best friend." The girl introduced.

"Nakoma, I was just getting ready to show them around the village. Would you like to join us?" Pocahontas asked.

"I would love to, but I have to finish my work. And anyway, I just came to tell you to be careful."

"Why? Are there Heartless running around?" Ke'Ania asked as she used her black eyes to scan their surroundings.

"No worse. Kocoum is looking for her. I know that you have been hanging around with one of those white devils, but he doesn't. I will try to keep him as distracted as I can, but you better be careful. He's one of our best warriors in the village. He might get around me and search for you."

"Thanks for the warning, Nakoma. I'll keep that in mind." Pocahontas nodded in appreciation.

"Well I must go. Be careful and again, nice meeting you two."

Everyone waved bye to Nakoma as they watched her leave.

"Please follow me this way." Pocahontas said as she began to walk.

"Pocahontas, who's Kocoum?" Ke'Ania asked.

The princess came to a stop and sighed heavily before turning to face them. "He's the man my father wants me to marry."

"But, don't you love John? He seems nice. Can't you just tell your dad that?" Donald questioned.

"Are you insane? If I even tell my father that I've been hanging around John, he would have me executed. I may be his daughter, but he will do whatever he needs to protect his village… even end my life. But, I still have a choice. I do not have to marry Kocoum, but it's highly recommended by my father." Pocahontas explained.

Ke'Ania moved to place a hand on her shoulder and smile. "Don't worry. Everything will work out."  
Pocahontas nodded before removing her hand. "This way, please."

…

…

…

Pocahontas showed them around the village. The whole time, they had to protect Donald from the villagers. Some tried to cook him while the children tried to play with him.

"Stupid kids." Donald huffed.

"Oh Donald, stop being such a grouch. They were just playing." Ke'Ania said.

"Oh yeah? What about the one that kept biting me? Was he just playing?" Donald argued.

"Oh Donald shut up. You're safe now, so let it go." Ke'Ania argued back.

"Friends and family! I need your attention! Please come to the center for a village meeting!" Chief Powhatan called.

Everyone moved to meet in the center. It wasn't until Pocahontas noticed who was standing next to her father that she gasped.

"What's wrong?" Donald asked.

"The people standing next to my father are the council members and the Warriors. That can't be good."

"Everyone! As you can see the Council and the Warriors are here to help aid us in the war against the white devils that have plagued our land. With their help, we will send these heathens back where they came from!" The chief announced, causing everyone except Ke'Ania, Donald, and Pocahontas.

While everyone was cheering, the trio got up and went to Chief Powhatan. "Father, we must speak with you."

"What is it, daughter?"

"Those people, we do not have to fight them."

"You speak nonsense, Pocahontas. Of course we have to fight them. They have invaded our land. They are no better than the Heartless we're also fighting." Powhatan said.

"But she speaks the truth. All they want is to look for gold." Ke'Ania argues.

"Gold? I know not of this gold?"

"That's exactly the point. If you just tell them that you don't have any gold, then they'll leave. Fighting them would be meaningless." Ke'Ania added.

"Father, you are a wise and noble chief. If one of them comes to you, you would speak with them, right?"

"Pocahontas~"

"Wouldn't you?!"

The chief stared into his daughter's scared eyes for a moment before sighing and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I would, but it is not that simple. Nothing is simple anymore. These people want war and that's what they'll get. Now, I must ask the three of you to stay away from them. They are too dangerous and I will not have them blaming any of us as the cause. That is final. Do you understand?"

"Yes father." Pocahontas nodded slowly.

They watched the chief entered the tent before turning to leave.

"What do we do now?" Donald asked.

"We have to go warn John and your friends. Come on. Let's go meet them." Pocahontas commanded.

They ran towards their meeting spot as fast as they could.

…

…

…

When they finally arrived, it was dark and hard to see. But Pocahontas led them to the right spot.

"Grandmother Willow!"

"My dears! The ground is trembling. What is going on?" She asked in worry.

"There's a war coming." Pocahontas warned.

"Pocahontas!" John yelled.

"John." She said as she ran to hug him. "We have a problem."

"I know. My father has brought in allies to for the war against your people."

"How did it go with the governor?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Terrible. He's a bastard and didn't listen to s damn thing we said." Sora growled wit his fists clenched.

"Did you tell them that there was no gold?" Donald questioned.

"Yep, but he just said that Pocahontas was lying and now they want to start digging on the Indian's land." Goofy informed. "What are we going to do now?"

"There must be something we can do." Pocahontas sighed with her head resting on John's chest.

"Wait a second. What if John spoke to Powhatan?" Ke'Ania suggested.

"What?" Everyone gasped.

"When we spoke to him, he said that he would talk to one of the settlers. So if John comes back with us and talks to Powhatan, then that might stop their side from attacking." Ke'Ania explained.

"That just might work, but, child, do you think your father will listen to John speak?" Grandmother Willow asked.

"He has to. John, will you come back with us and speak to my father?"

"Of course." John nodded as he held Pocahontas tightly.

"Then let's go." Sora commanded.

The group turned to leave, but stopped when they noticed that neither John nor Pocahontas was following them. "Maybe we should give them a moment alone." Ke'Ania suggested. Everyone nodded and left the couple alone for a little bit. They hid behind Grandmother Willow's branches and talked about things. "They're cute together don't you think."

"Yeah. It'll be nice when all of this is over that they can be together." Sora smiled.

"Do you think things will work out between them? Do you think that the war will end after they speak to each other?" Donald asked.

"I don't know. But, I hope things do work out. For everyone's sake." Ke'Ania sighed.

"Shh, I hear noises." Grandmother said.

"What's going on out there?" Goofy questioned.

"Oh no. John is fighting with some guy." Donald announced.

"I'll stop them."

"Be careful." Ke'Ania called as Sora ran out of their hiding spot.

John and Kocoum began to struggle and fight each other while Pocahontas kept shouting at them. She tried to get Kocoum off of John, but he pushed her down. That's when Sora jumped in and tried to remove Kocoum. Sora punched him in the face, successfully knocking him off of John. The blond stood up and they waited for Kocoum's next attack. He rushed at them. John elbowed him in the gut while Sora kicked him in his side. Kocoum grunted and grabbed Sora by the back of his jacket and threw him into the hard ground before jumping on John. He has a sharp rock dagger in his hand and tried to break John's guard so that he can stab him. Sora got up and jumped on Kocoum's back. Kocoum tried his hardest to get Sora off of him. While he was distracted, John punched Kocoum in the face and took his knife from him before throwing it on the ground. With a strong grip, Kocoum threw Sora into John and caused both males to fall to the ground.

"Sora!" "John!" Pocahontas and Ke'Ania yelled as they tried to run to their loved one's side.

But, before they could reach them, Kocoum was about to attack them until a gunshot went off. Kocoum stumbled before finally going down. But, as he went down, he grabbed hold of and broke her necklace.

"Kocoum!" Pocahontas yelled as she ran over to him.

Ke'Ania was kneeling besides Sora as a gingered haired man came out of the forest. John ran up to him and grabbed him by his shirt. "What did you do, Thomas?!"

"I was trying to save you." Thomas stuttered.

"You killed him!" Pocahontas screamed as she ran towards them, but John stopped her.

"Calm down. It won't do anything. He won't come back." John spoke into her ears.

Suddenly the sound of Indians running filed their ears. "Thomas, you need to leave! Now!"

The man named Thomas was hesitant at first, but he finally left. That's when Sora stood up. "Ke'Ania, take Pocahontas and go hide."

"But, what about you?" She asked with gray eyes.

"John and I will handle the Indians. Go. We don't want you getting into trouble." Sora commanded.

Ke'Ania nodded and grabbed Pocahontas to hide behind Grandmother Willow's branches. There they watched as the Indians arrived. They looked at a dead Kocoum and at John and Sora before taking all of them away. Pocahontas and Ke'Ania were about to jump out, but Grandmother Willow stopped them with her branches holding their legs, arms, and their mouths closed. Helpless, they had to watch as the Indians carried the trio away. Once they were gone. Ke'Ania and Pocahontas began screaming and crying for their boys.

"No. No. No. This was not how things were supposed to be." Ke'Ania cried while on her knees and gripping the ground.

"This is all my fault. This is all my fault." Pocahontas cried.

As the two girls were crying, Meeko, Flit, Donald, Goofy, and a white dog came out to comfort them. The girls stopped crying for a second to look at the strange dog before looking at Goofy for an explanation.

"That's the governor's dog, Percy. He must've followed us."

The girls didn't say anything. They just continued to cry as they stroked the pug's soft fur. "Girls. You two need to stop your crying and go after them. Knowing your father, he's probably going to have them executed. You need to see if you can stop him." Grandmother Willow ordered.

"She's right. Come on Pocahontas. We need to see what we can do." Ke'Ania said as she stood up.

Pocahontas nodded and moved to stand besides her before everyone in their group took off towards the village.

…

…

…

Chief Powhatan watched with horror and anger in his eyes as they carried in Kocoum's body, Sora and John. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Kocoum went to search for Pocahontas and our guest and died by the hands of these two heathens." One Indian explained.

Powhatan glared at Sora and John with heavy eyes as he used his spear to lift their heads. "Your weapons maybe strong, but our hate is stronger. Now, because of what has happened, we will fight your people and we will win. Everyone! At the crack of dawn, we will execute these two before heading off to war with the settlers!" The crowd cheered loudly. "Take them to the Execution Tent."

"Father wait!" Pocahontas called out as the group finally reached the village. "Please spare them. They~"

"It is because of you three that Kocoum is dead and this war will begin. You have shamed your father and this village. Your foolishness is to blame for their deaths in the morning. Now, not another word or else you all will be banished from this village." The chief spoke before leaving.

Ke'Ania and Pocahontas fell to the ground and began to shake with fear and sadness. "Pocahontas. Ke'Ania." They looked up to see Nakoma standing before them while twiddling her thumbs. "I'm sorry. I was the one who sent Kocoum after you guys. I know I said that I was going to distract him, but I stated to get worried for you. I'm almost glad I did. Had he not went, you probably would've been dead instead. I would rather have him dead than my best friend." She confessed.

"I forgive you, Nakoma. But now, because of us, we're going to lose the ones precious to us." Pocahontas cried silently.

"I just wish… there was some way to say goodbye." Ke'Ania cried.

Nakoma looked around before taking both of their hands. "Come with me." They followed the Indian girl to a tent with two guards protecting it. "These two want to look into the eyes of Kocoum's murders."

The guards looked around as they opened the flap a little bit. "Make it quick." One of them told the girls.

"Don't worry. I'll watch out for your father and I'll watch over these guys." Nakoma promised.

The girls barely heard her as they entered the tent and Saw Sora and John tied to a pole with their backs to each other.

"John." "Sora." The two girls cried as they ran to hold the boys.

"Hey, hey. It's ok. Don't cry." Sora told Ke'Ania.

"It's alright?! Look at you! You're tied to a pole and about to get executed tomorrow!" Ke'Ania silently yelled.

"I know that this doesn't seem to be the best situation, but hey look. At least I can die tomorrow knowing that I got a chance to meet you." Sora smiled.

"But… I don't want you to die…" Ke'Ania sobbed against his chest.

Sora listened to Ke'Ania's sobs for a few moments before speaking. "Hey Ke'Ania… no matter what happens tomorrow… I just want you to know that I'm glad that you and I could share this last moment together…"

"Me too." She answered back.

"And… there's something else I want you to know… Look at me…" He waited until she lifted her head to smile at her sadly. "I wanna tell you… I… I love you… I just wanted you to know those words before I die…"

This shocked Ke'Ania and filled her heart with glee. She reached up to cuff both of his cheeks with her gloved hands before pulling him forward to kiss his lips. The two shared a deep, loving kiss until she pulled him away and placed their foreheads together.

"I love you, too. I love you too much to let you die tomorrow. I promise I'll find a way to save you. I promise." Ke'Ania said as cheeks rolled down her cheeks.

Doubting her a little bit, Sora nodded and smiled. "Thanks for telling me."

"Ke'Ania. Pocahontas. We have to leave." Nakoma warned.

The two girls looked at their boys with sadden expressions before giving them one last kiss, standing and walking out of the tent after their hands lingered on their cheeks a little longer. They exited the tent and made their way back to Grandmother Willow.

…

…

…

"That's terrible. You have to stop them." Grandmother Willow urged.

"We can't. They're going to die tomorrow morning and there's nothing we can do about it. I went down the wrong path and now it's costing me everything." Pocahontas cried.

"But, there's something we have to do. Sora and John can't die. They can't die." Ke'Ania cried softly.

That's when Meeko climbed down one of Grandmother Willow's branches and gave Pocahontas a compass.

"You still have this?" Pocahontas asked as she took it.

"You have a compass? What will that do us?" Ke'Ania asked.

"It might help us. Before John showed up, I was having dreams about a spinning arrow leading me to my path. Maybe this is what's going to help us."

"If it'll save our boys then I'm up for it. Alright arrow, show us the way." Ke'Ania said as she looked down at the arrow. Suddenly, it began to spin wildly until it finally stopped. "It's pointing towards the village."

"And look, it's sunrise!" Goofy pointed out.

"It's not too late! Now go and save the ones you love." Grandmother Willow encouraged.

"She's right. Let's go." Pocahontas nodded at Ke'Ania's words before everyone followed the girls towards the village.

…

…

…

The girls raced through the forest and up to the cliff where John and Sora had their heads laying on rocks. The girls pushed past everyone and threw themselves in front of their boys.

"Pocahontas? Ke'Ania? What are you two doing here? Get out of the way. You're interrupting the execution." Powhatan ordered.

"No father! I will not let you kill the man I love."

"And neither will I." Ke'Ania agreed.

Everyone stood in shock and silence at the two girls' words.

"Don't you see, father. This is where the path of hatred has brought us. I choose to go down this path with John at my side. But, what is the path you will choose?" Pocahontas glared.

Chief Powhatan looked around with Pocahontas's words in his head and realized that she was right. "Daughter… you are right. This is not the path I will choose to take my people down." He said as he threw down his weapon. "If there is to be more bloodshed and deaths… It shall not start with me!" He proclaimed. "Release them."

Two Indians moved to break John and Sora's bonds. Once they were free the two couples hugged each other tightly as everyone watched.

"I thought I was going to lose you." Ke'Ania whispered with happiness.

"Thanks for saving me." Sora smiled.

During the sweet moment, Ratcliffe unsheathed his sword and pointed it upward. "Now's our chance! Let's get them men!"

"No. They let John and Sora go. There's no need to fight." Thomas said.

"What is wrong with you men?! Have you all turned chicken?! Oh give me that gun!" Ratcliffe said as he took it.

He pointed them at Ke'Ania and Pocahontas and was about to shoot before John and Sora pushed them out of the way and took the bullets. Both boys took their bullets in their sides. When Pocahontas fell to the floor, she accidently rolled off the cliff and started falling. Using this chance, Ratcliff summoned a black hole and used it capture her.

"Pocahontas!" Everyone yelled at the same time.

"Are you alright, Sora?" Ke'Ania asked in a panicked voice. Sora couldn't answer. He ended up coughing up blood before passing out. "Sora?! Sora?!"

"Ya see that, Princess Ke'Ania?! Not only did I kidnap Pocahontas, but now Sora is going to die! I'd say you might as well give up and save yourself the trouble!" Ratcliff laughed.

Feeling rage boiling within her, she stood up with her head lowered. _**"Donald. Try to heal Sora and John. I'll take care of Ratcliff."**_ She ordered.

"You're going to challenge me all by yourself?" Ratcliffe yelled as he summoned a small army of Heartlesses. "Bring it one. I don't mind capturing another princess."

Ke'Ania pulled out the two gems Merlin gave them and placed them on the ground. After adding some of her power to them, they transformed into a red dragon and a lion.

"What's going on?" The lion asked.

"Yeah. What in the blue Chinese moon is happening here?" The dragon questioned.

"_**My name is Ke'Ania, a Pure Heart Princess. I summoned you. I need your help with that."**_

Even though they were scared of her silver eyes, they looked behind them and saw the army.

"I see. Well don't worry, sista. We'll take care of you. As long as you promise to do a proper introduction later." The dragon said.

"_**Deal."**_

"But wait. How are we going to get down there?" The lion asked.

Ke'Ania walked to the end and used her ice powers to create an ice slide. _**"Let's go."**_

She jumped down with the two of them behind her. They slide down the slide until they got towards the end. When they were close enough, they jumped off the slide and headed towards the army. The dragon shot out flames that burned the Heartless while the lion used his roar and claws to clear the way. Ke'Ania added lightning to her blades and began her attack. She dispelled any Heartless before she finally reached Ratcliffe.

"Wait a second. Don't you want to talk this over. I didn't mean to shot your boyfriend and that joke about kidnapping you, come on. Let's let bygones be bygones. Oh please don't kill me." He pleaded.

"_**Too late for that. Now die!"**_

He tried to run away, but Ke'Ania threw her blades into his back. He screamed when they penetrated him. She used her strength to push them further into his body before removing them, adding lightning to her hands and stabbing her claws into his wounds. He screamed and hollered in pain as his body was electrocuted. After a few moments, she withdrew her claws and watched as his lifeless body fall to the floor. She looked up and saw her companions finishing off the last Heartless before the three of them walked back up to the cliff.

When she got to the top, Donald was busy healing John. "Is he going to be alright?" She asked as she moved to place his head on her lap.

"Yeah. I just finished healing him. I'm working on John now." Donald answered.

Ke'Ania lightly messaged his scalp until Donald was done with John. The blond man woke up and immediately started calling for Pocahontas.

"She's gone, John. But, I promise, we'll get her back. You can count on that." She said before turning towards the lion. "Can you carry him back to our ship?"

The lion nodded and lowered himself to the ground. Goofy and Donald helped Sora onto the lion's back. Once he was on securely, they waved bye to everyone and headed towards the ship.

…

…

…

On the ship, Ke'Ania was sitting on the couch with Sora's head in her lap.

"You took care of Ratcliffe and his army of Heartless? Wow." Sora smiled.

"Well I had a little help from these two." She acknowledged.

"Please to meet ya. My name's Mushu." The dragon bowed.

"And my name is Simba." The lion nodded.

"My name is Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, and of course Ke'Ania."

"So, where are you two from?" Goofy asked.

While their two new friends were telling their back story, Ke'Ania drifted off to her inner thoughts. She thought back to all the princesses she had to watch disappear with a heavy heart.

"_This kidnapping routine is really getting old. I hope we can get to the next one before it's too late."_

…

**To Be Continued…**

…

**Next Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

They head to Halloween Town.

…


	38. Badbutt94's Author's Note

**Badbutt94's Author's Note:**

First of all, I would like to apologize for not posting anything and for anyone who believes that this is a new chapter. I am making this author's note to let all of my fans and readers know that I will not be able to post any new chapters until after August 20th, 2013. As of right now, I am in another state, taking care of my very young siblings for my mother. She just gave birth, today, to my little brother and will need my help with the new born, 7/8 year old, 3 year old, and a 1 year old, yes people these are all of my siblings. I have been with my family for almost a month now and just found time to upload this author's note, so you can tell that I am busy. But, do not despair, once I return home and before I start college again, I will come back with a bunch of new chapters, stories, and everything you guys expect of me.

Also, on a side not, I have finally gotten my siblings on a schedule so I do have some free time during the night where I can become a beta for anyone who needs one. So, if you or anybody needs a beta for their work, let me know and I can definitely help out.

To add to this author's note, I will be posting this to all of my stories so anyone who's ever read my stories will know that I do not own any most of the characters in my stories. The only ones I do own, are my OCs and extra characters in all of my Naruto stories, Ke'Ania, Saedi, and Raven from my 'Secret Kingdom Hearts' series, and any other OCs I mentioned in the warnings. I also do not own any of the songs I have added in my stories. The only thing I do own are the plots to my stories, the design of most of the characters, and any 'music video' type of action happening in some of my stories. The only reason I am doing this and posting it to all of my stories is because I have received some messages where people were complaining and threatening to report my stories because I did not put any disclaimers in any of the chapters. Since this bothers people and since I refuse to go through the tedious process of dealing with this issue again, I am posting this author's note and will start putting disclaimers of all of my chapters and stories to please my audience and rule followers who refuse to even read my work because there is not disclaimer stated.

Another reason I am also posting this author note to all of my stories is because it has come to my attention that my past stories are shitty and they make me cringe every time I read them. I am not one of those people that will claim that every piece of work I have done is perfect and no one can tell me otherwise. I know that starting off I wasn't as good as I am now, and my work proves that. So, I have decided that, before I die, I will attempt to go back and re-do _**ALL **_of my stories to satisfy this need of mine. I don't know exactly when I will get around to it, but I can guaranty that it will happen one day.

The last thing I have to say to everyone is that I feel the need to be just a little bit closer to you guys so, if you want to, you can scroll further down this note and find my Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, and DeviantArt names so that you can follow me. On my DeviantArt account are some old pictures I drew, but I will be posting some more soon. On my YouTube account, I do occasionally post some videos of my favorite couples. If there is any requests for a video you would like for me to make with a song, drop me a request on my YouTube account or you can send it to my Facebook, Tumblr, or even pm me here. It all goes to my email so I'll get it one way or another. For those who friend me on Facebook, that is where you can get to know the non-fanfiction side of Badbutt94. For anyone that wants to follow me on Tumblr, there I will be posting any updates about my stories, videos, and artwork on there. Now, I know I'm not the best, but I do take pride in what I do and will post it regardless of people's opinions. Just like many other pictures, videos, and pieces of literature, they are there simply for anyone who wants to enjoy it.

Well, I think that's enough ranting and raving for today. Again, I'm sorry that I cannot post any chapters right now, but I will make up for it in a few months. If there are any comments/ concerns or you simply want to just drop me a line, go ahead. I will be waiting to hear from you guys.

**HOW TO FIND ME:**

**Facebook: **Blackcat Ke'AniaSora

**Tumblr: **soraxiii

**YouTube: **Badbutt94

**DeviantArt: **soraswifey


	39. A Few Tricks from Halloween Town

**Author's Note:**

I'm sorry about not being able to update like I wanted to. I just returned back to school and had other things going on, so I had to put my fanfictions to the side. Plus, I had to update my other three fanfictions. But, I'm back and will do my best to try to get more chapters out, so don't worry about me dropping this story. The only thing I hope is that this chapter will be worth the weight to you, my lovely and loyal fans.

Another thing I would like to add is that Ke'Ania _**did **_seal the Keyhole in Indian Reserve, but I forgot to write it. But, she use her power and Keyblades to seal it.

The last thing I would like to do is wish this story's 3rd year belated anniversary. I actually missed the real dated, so I just wanted to wish it now. I can't believe that it's been three whole years since the first chapter was posted. I would also like to show my gratitude towards the people who love and have read this story since the first chapter three years ago. So thanks you guys. You're awesome.

**Warnings for This Chapter:**

Nothing too special.

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own anything except this twisted version of Kingdom Hearts, the battle scenes, Ke'Ania's powers, some of Donald's techniques, the elements intruded into here, some of the backstories, Demon Dreamer Town, and the extra characters, such as Ke'Ania, Raven, and Saedi. Basically anything that you haven't seen in the original Kingdom Hearts in mine.

…

…

…

**Last Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

On the ship, Ke'Ania was sitting on the couch with Sora's head in her lap.

"You took care of Radcliffe and his army of Heartless? Wow." Sora smiled.

"Well I had a little help from these two." She acknowledged.

"Please to meet ya. My name's Mushu." The dragon bowed.

"And my name is Simba." The lion nodded.

"My name is Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, and of course Ke'Ania."

"So, where are you two from?" Goofy asked.

While their two new friends were telling their back story, Ke'Ania drifted off to her inner thoughts. She thought back to all the princesses she had to watch disappear with a heavy heart.

"_This kidnapping routine is really getting old. I hope we can get to the next one before it's too late."_

**Onto the Next Chapter…**

…

…

…

**Chapter 34: A Few Tricks from Halloween Town**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

Several hours later, after a rough and sleepless night, I finally decided to wake up. I made my bed before heading to the kitchen. I wasn't too hungry, but I knew the boys would be. I pulled out some orange juice for me to drink while I cooked. After I pulled out everything for breakfast, I heard someone enter the kitchen.

"Morning."

I turned to see that it was Sora. "Morning. Breakfast won't be ready for a little bit. Do you want something now?"

"Just a glass of milk." He yawned.

"How do you feel? Does your side still hurt?" I asked while pouring him a glass of milk and set it in front of him.

"It's a dull pain, but barely noticeable." He answered before answering.

"That's good." I nodded.

Silence spread throughout the room. It wasn't awkward, but there was something nagging at my mind. So why not ask it now?

"Hey Sora… I need to ask you something." That caused him to lift his head and look at me in my pink eyes. "About yesterday, or the day before yesterday… when we… confessed our feelings… I was serious, but I just wanted to make sure that you were… You were serious… right?" I asked nervously.

Sora put his glass of milk down before moving to stand in front of me and pulling me into him, making me blush a little harder. The embrace he had me in was tight enough to let me know that he was there for me, but loose enough to say that he's not suffocating me.

"I did mean every word. I do love you, Ke'Ania. I would go nuts if I lost you. I want you in my life and by my side. It's funny. I've been waiting to say those words for a while, but never had the courage or nerve to. In a way, I'm glad what happened yesterday happened. I love you, Ke'Ania."

At hearing his words, I lifted my arms to wrap them around his neck before kissing his lips. It felt so good and so right to be right here, kissing and being held by him. Everything right now just feels so… right. I pulled away enough to stare into his eyes with my fuchsia ones.

"I love you too, Sora." I smiled. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Well… we know how we feel about each other. But, I think we should wait until our job is done before we start dating. Deal?"

"Deal." I nodded before removing myself to begin cooking.

"Morning." Donald yawned.

"Good morning, everyone!" Goofy waved.

"Morning guys. Breakfast will be ready soon." I said while throwing a smile over my shoulder.

I drowned the boys' conversation out with the sounds of my own heart beat and thoughts.

"_Whatever world we're going to next, I need to protect that princess with my life. It's time for me to step my game up."_

**BEEP BEEP BEEP**

"Oh goodie! There's the alarm!" Goofy cheered.

"You guys go ahead. I'll finish up here." I smiled.

"Race you guys to the Control Room." Sora yelled, already halfway out of the room.

I just shook my head and returned back to making the scrambled eggs. I heard yelling, crashing, falling, words and finally cheering before Sora came back to the kitchen.

"Hey Ke'Ania?" I turned to look at him. "What's your favorite holiday?"

"Friday the 13th. But, since it's not really a holiday, I'd have to say Halloween. Why?" I asked.

"Well let's just say that you might not want to leave this world." Sora grinned, causing me to look at him with brown eyes.

…

…

…

"**I FUCKIN' LOVE IT HERE!"** I yelled the moment I stepped off the ship and got a good look around.

We landed in a world known as Halloween Town. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect and still don't. Right now, we're just in a graveyard, but everything looks amazing. There are carved pumpkins, black cats, and spider webs everywhere you turn. It wasn't too much, but it was enough to make the atmosphere feel creepy.

"It makes me wonder how the town will actually look." I smiled with yellow eyes.

"Then let's get going." Sora said following behind me.

"Wait." Donald called out while pulling out his staff. "We'll need costumes so that we can fit in."

He waved his staff and let his magic surround us. When it disappeared, we were dressed in different outfits. Sora was dressed as a black vampire with small black wings coming out of his black and white jacket and a small pumpkin mask covering his right eye. Donald was dressed head to toe in bandages and his stomach was missing. Goof was dressed as a homeless zombie. That's when I looked down at what I was wearing.

I had on a red tank top, similar to my original one, black skirt that almost touches my fingertips, black and red knee high socks, black tennis shoes, black elbow high, fingerless gloves, and black cat ears, a tail, and choker with a bell around my neck. I guessed that I was a black cat. An ironic fit.

"Whoa, look at us. We look awesome." Sora smiled as he looked at himself.

"Hey Donald. Where's your stomach?!" Goofy panicked.

"My stomach is gone!" Donald yelled.

"Whoa. I can move my tail and ears? What the hell is going on? Donald, you were only supposed to give us costumes, not make us into the real thing." I scolded.

"I didn't do it. The costume changing spell transforms us into whatever species we need to be in order to fit in with the rest of the residents of that world." Donald explained.

"So you mean to the residents are actual monsters and not just people dressed in costumes all the time?" Goofy asked.

That's when we heard people talking and cheering a little distance away. Sora moved towards the top of the curly hill and saw glowing lights and houses. "There's only one way to find out. Well, there's a town over there. Let's go see what's up."

…

…

…

We walked from the graveyard towards the middle of the town. When we got there, we were in for a surprise.

"Whoa! There are Heartlesses here?!" Sora gasped.

"Let's get 'em." Donald said while summoning his staff.

"Wait a minute, Donald. There seems to be something wrong with 'em." Goofy stated.

Curiosity got the best of me. I walked up to one of the Search Ghosts and went to poke them. "They're not moving. Do they not see us?" I asked with brown eyes.

"I don't know what's wrong with them. Come on. Let's go find the person in charge and see what they say." Sora suggested.

"_**Hurry up or we'll miss it!"**_

"_**Yeah, let's hurry."**_

We looked up to see two small children running past us.

"Wondering where they're going?" I questioned.

"Don't know, but let's follow them." Sora ordered.

…

…

…

We followed the two children to the town's square where the rest of this world's citizens were gathered in front of a stage. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I pushed past some people to stand more towards the front and middle of the crowd. After about a minute, a short chunky man with a tall black top hat walked on stage with a megaphone.

"Quiet down everyone! Yes, it's that time again. It's time for everyone to see their favorite king of nightmares. Allow me to introduce our own master of terror… Jack Skeleton!" The man announced while pointing towards a fountain sprouting green liquid.

Everyone turned to see eight Search Ghosts making way for a tall white skeleton wearing a black and white suit coming out of the fountain. Everyone cheered when he fully emerged and did a scary pose.

"Whoa. Who is this guy?" Sora whispered to me.

"Judging from the way everyone is cheering and rushing over to him, probably the person we're looking for." I answered.

We looked up again to see everyone in town welcoming and congratulating the skeleton on his entrance. Once they all left, the short guy ran over to him.

"Oh Jack, congratulations on a wonderful entrance! You're defiantly going to make this the best Halloween ever!"

"Yes, my entrance was good… but the Heartless could use more work. They're just not scary enough for me. They need to be tinkered with more." Jack responded.

"What's he talking about?" I asked.

"Let's go find out." Sora said as he led us over to them. "Excuse me, but are you two in charge of this world?"

"Why yes. I am Jack Skeleton, the Pumpkin King, and this is Mayor. Who you four? I don't remember seeing you guys before." Jack questioned with one hand on his hip and the other on his chin.

"I'm Sora, the Keyblade Master. This is Ke'Ania, a Pure Heart Princess. And these two are Donald Duck and Goofy, friends of King Mickey." Sora introduced.

"Ah, so you're the ones we've heard so much about. Have you come here to celebrate Halloween with us?" The Mayor asked.

"No. We're here because our scanner indicated that this world was in danger. So we're here to close the Keyhole and protect the Pure Heart Princess." Donald explained.

"Oh, you must mean Sally. I'm sure she would love to meet you guys, but we're not in any danger here." Jack informed.

"But, what about the Heartless all over the place?" Goofy asked.

"Oh there's no reason to worry about those. I have everything under control. You see, Dr. Finkelstein and I have come up a way to control them. If you'd like, you can come with me to see how. Sally should be there so you guys can meet her." Jack invited.

"That'll be lovely. And while you guys are doing that, I'll be attending to the decorations around town." The Mayor said before leaving.

We waited for the Mayor to leave before following Jack to this Dr. Finkelstein's lab.

…

…

…

"So Dr. What do ya think?" Jack asked.

"Well, I know that my devices for them are perfect, but they're not meant to last. What we need is a heart to keep our control over them." Dr. Finkelstein informed.

"Of course. It's so simple." Jack gasped.

"Wait a second. Hold up. You mean to tell me that all you guys are doing is trying to control the Heartless just to make them part of your Halloween celebration?" I asked, trying to wrap my mind around the whole thing.

"Pretty much." Jack shrugged.

"_**And I've told them that it's a bad idea."**_ A woman with stitches dressed in a dress made of rags said from the doorway.

"Oh what do you know, you silly girl? Nothing, that's what." Dr. Finkelstein grumbled.

"I may not know much, but I do know that messing with those dark creatures is a bad idea." She argued before turning to look at us. "Oh, I'm sorry. Who might you four be?"

"Sally, these are the guardians sent from King Mickey we've heard so much about. Everyone, this is Sally. She's the Pure Heart Princess you were sent here to protect." Jack introduced.

"I'm Ke'Ania. I am also a Pure Heart Princess. These are my friends, Sora, Donald, and Goofy." I said.

"It's very nice to meet you." She smiled.

"Oh no. It seems that we're missing some ingredients for our heart!" The doctor cried out.

"Don't worry doctor, we'll get 'em. Sally, Ke'Ania, will you please go to the graveyard and get the rest of the ingredients?" Jack asked.

"I don't know Jack. I still don't like the idea of you guys messing with these creatures."

Jack walked up to Sally and grabbed hold of her hands. "Sally, please. I really need your help. It's my job to make sure that the Halloween Celebration is better than last year and this is the only way I can think of. But, if this doesn't work, I promise to drop the entire project. But, I need to at least try. Please?"

Sally looked at Jack for a moment before finally signing. "Alright Jack. But, only if you promise."

"I solemnly promise. Oh thank you, Sally. I really appreciate you." Jack cheered while hugging her. I could see the blush on her light blue cheeks remain for a moment after he released her. He turned around to give her a list of the ingredients. "Here is the stuff we're missing."

She gave it the once over before turning to look at me. "You coming?"

"Sure." I nodded.

…

…

…

On the way to the Graveyard, Sally and I talked and got to know each other. Despite knowing that she's a creation and the daughter of Dr. Finkelstein, she's kind of had it hard and managed to come out a good person. It's defiantly something you don't see every day.

We managed to make it to the graveyard in record time.

"So, what's first on the list?" I asked.

"It's a white flower called 'Memory'. I think there is some over here somewhere." Sally said while leading me further into the Graveyard. We walked over towards a tombstone when Sally smiled. "There's some."

We were about to run over to the tombstone when I stopped her. "Hold on, Sally. There's something over there."

She moved in front of me to get a better look. "There's no need to worry. That's just Zero, Jack's ghost dog. Come here boy." She patted her legs. The little floating dog with a bright red nose quickly flew over to us and barked happily. "Zero, say hi to Ke'Ania. She's a friend."

The dog barked when he came over to me. I touched his nose, making him do back flips with joy.

"He's cute." I laughed.

He left my side to bark in front of Sally. "What's wrong, boy?" He barked a few more moments before flying over to a tombstone. After realizing what he was pointing at, Sally walked over to the tombstone with her hands on her hips and a glare on her face. "Alright, come out you three." I looked confused as to who she was talking to. After a moment or two, three little kids came out. "What are you three up to now?"

"Nothing…" The children sang "innocently".

The three children looked to be siblings. There were two boys and one girl. The girl was dressed as a witch and seemed to be the oldest of the three. The second oldest was a boy dressed as a red devil. The last one was a little chunky boy dressed as a skeleton. To me, they looked to be simple children who loved to pull pranks. But, something was telling me otherwise.

"Lock, Shock, and Barrel. I know you guys are up to something, now spill." Sally demanded.

"We're not up to anything. We're just here collecting stuff for our graveyard collection." Said the witch girl.

"Yeah. We ain't doing nothing." The skeleton boy added.

Sally just shook her head at them. "You three need to get back to town and help with the decorations for the celebration. Now march." She commanded.

The children groaned before finally leaving.

"Who were they?" I asked.

"The devil dressed boy is Lock. The witch girl's name is Shock. And the youngest looking one's name is Barrel. They're siblings and love to run around and pull pranks on people. They also work for Mr. Oogie Boogie."

"Oogie Boogie?" I questioned.

"He's the villain of this world. They're like his little minions, but I think they're forced to be. They've stated that they don't really like working for Oogie Boogie, but sometimes they do. I guess it just depends on the job he has them do. I try my best to keep them from him, but they always manage to do what they want." Sally explained.

"Well, we know who to look out for. Come on. Let's get the ingredients and head back before the boys start worrying." I suggested.

We began to pick the white flower when I heard a noise. That's when Zero began to act strange. He growled angrily and flew towards one of the tombstones. That's when Barrel came out from behind the tombstone and tried to capture Zero, but only phased through him.

"Zero? Oh, those darn kids." Sally huffed while walking over him.

I looked up to see Lock and Shock behind nearby tombstones. "Sally! Watch out!" I yelled as I tried to get to her, but it was too late.

The two kids threw two black balls onto the ground and they exploded with darkness surrounding us. I could barely breathe. The darkness surrounding us was heavy and overwhelming.

"Zero. Go get help from Jack and the others." I coughed. Once he was out of sight, I tried to search for Sally. "Sally. Sally, we have to get out of here." I continued to cough.

Through my coughing fit, I stumbled around in the darkness until finally collapsing onto my hands and knees. The darkness began to dissipate, allowing me to see that Sally was lying unconscious besides me. With the last of my strength, I rolled onto my back and used my elbows to prop myself up. I looked over to my left and saw a white bathtub coming towards us.

"Mr. Oogie Boogie will surely be pleased with us." Shock cheered.

"Yeah. We may even get a treat this time." Barrel smiled.

I could barely hear them over the sound of my coughs. Not being able to hang on anymore, I fell backwards and laid on the ground until my eyes finally closed and I slipped into unconsciousness.

…

…

…

**Normal P.O.V.**

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jack and Dr. Finkelstein were sitting around waiting for the girls to return.

"What could be taking them so long? They've been gone forever." Donald groaned.

"I'm starting to get really worried. They should've been back by now." Sora said with concern in his voice.

That's when Zero appeared into the room.

"Whoa. Who's that?" Sora asked.

"This is Zero, my ghost dog." Jack introduced before Zero began to bark wildly. "What's the matter boy?"

Zero continued to bark uncontrollably before flying out of the room.

"I think he wants us to follow him." Goofy stated.

"But, what about the girls?" Donald questioned.

"We'll look for them along the way. Come on." Jack commanded.

…

…

…

They followed Zero all the way to the Graveyard.

"Why did he bring us here?" Sora asked.

They watched as Zero pointed to some "Forget-Me-Nots" left on the floor.

"These were on the ingredients list I gave to Sally. And here's the list…" Jack trailed off.

"Do you think he was trying to say that the girls are in trouble?" Goofy figured.

"Zero, are the girls in trouble?" Sora asked. Zero nodded. "What happened to them?"

Zero floated to the top of Curvy Hill and pointed towards a tall evil tower.

"Damn him. I had a feeling Oogie Boogie might make a move. But, I didn't know that he'd go after the girls. How could I be so stupid." Jack cursed.

"Is Oogie Boogie the villain for your world?" Donald wondered.

"Yes. He's also jealous of the fact that I rule this world while he's left to squirm in the dark and sewers. If he has the girls, then we better hurry before it's too late." Jack commanded.

Everyone was in agreement as they followed the tall skeleton to the tower.

…

…

…

The group of five made their way to the tower while fighting Heartless along the way. Jack walked to the front door and banged on it.

"Open up! I know you're in there!" Jack shouted while banging on the door.

"No one's home." Lock called out.

"Yeah, so beat it." Barrel said.

This angered Jack and caused him to shove the door open.

"You guys are so dumb." Shock groaned.

"Alright you three. I want to know where Boogie is and I want to know now." Jack commanded.

"What's in it for us?" Shock asked.

"Yeah. What do we get?" Barrel smirked.

"_**How about I don't beat you so bad that you'll be black blue for a week. Now where is Oogie Boogie?!"**_ Jack growled, causing the trio to shake with fear.

"Man. And I thought Mr. Oogie Boogie was bad." Barrel gulped.

"Yeah. No wonder Jack was named ruler of this world." Lock laughed nervously.

Shock, being the bravest of the three, stepped forward on shaky knees. "He's in his lair down below. He told us to kidnap Sally and that weird cat girl. We have no idea what he's done with them. That's all we know, we swear."

"I'll deal with you guys later. I want you to go back to town and finish _**ALL **_of the decorations as punishment. _**Now go!**_" Jack ordered. The trio jumped at the tone of Jack's voice before running out of the room. Once they were gone, Jack led the guys to a door with Oogie's face on it, "This way. Oogie and the girls should be down there."

"Let's go then." Sora said while Donald, Goofy, and him summoned their weapons.

…

…

…

"Oogie!" Jack yelled as they ran into the room.

"Well, well. If it ain't Jack Skeleton and the pipsqueak do-gooders. What do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" The bag of bugs, known as Oogie Boogie, smirked.

"Cut the shit, Oogie Boogie, and tell us where you're hiding the girls." Sora glared.

"Oh my. Could these…" Oogie smirked as he pulled a lever, causing a spinning pentagon pillar to rise. "Be the girls you're looking for?"

"Ke'Ania! Sally!" The guys yelled.

Attached to the spinning pillar were the girls. Their arms were raised above their heads with cuffs holding them. A larger cuff held their waist in place. Their ankles were bound together with another set of cuffs. What made the boys even more worried were the collars around their necks emitting darkness.

"Why are those collars around their necks?" Sora asked angrily.

"They're emitting just enough darkness to keep them unconscious and make my job all the more easier." Oogie laughed.

"Hold on girls, we're coming!" Donald and Goofy yelled before everyone jumped onto the platform the pillar rose out of.

"Oh no you don't." Oogie said as he pulled the lever again. The pillar began to spin faster and faster and causing darkness to cover the pillar, keeping the boys from reaching them. "If you want to save your girls, then you have to defeat me."

"Oogie!" Jack growled before stomping over to where Oogie was standing above them.

The bag of bugs pulled the lever another time, causing the platform to spin wildly. Sora used his Keyblade to stab the ground and keep him steady. Donald, Jack and Goofy used the dividing parts of the platform to hold on. Once the floor stopped spinning, the boys moved towards Oogie Boogie. The villain waved his hand and summoned several Gargoyles. The boys made quick work of them, but that caused Oogie to summon more Heartlesses. Not only did the boys have to deal with Heartlesses, but they also had to dodge Oogie Boogie's traps and devices.

"There has to be an easier way to defeat him." Sora huffed after defeating another Gargoyle.

"One of us needs to get up there and fight him." Donald stated.

"Yeah, but how?" Goofy asked.

"I have an idea. Goofy and Zero, we need you two to distract him. Donald, you need to use your magic to chase him away from that lever. When he's away from it, I'll throw Sora up there. Sora, you're going to have to be the one to defeat him." Jack ordered.

"Gottcha." The boys nodded.

Goofy and Zero began to distract Oogie before Donald shot his lightning magic at him. Oogie yelled as he ran away from the lightning. When he was far enough, Jack kneeled while cupping his hands. Sora ran towards him and used Jack's boost to propel himself towards Oogie. When he was close enough, Sora swung his Keyblade and managed to create a large slice in Oogie's front. Oogie Boogie groaned as he fell to the floor. While he was on the floor, Sora pulled the lever one final time, making everything stop. The guys were relieved when the device shut off, the pillar began to slow down, and the darkness disappeared. But, when the pillar stopped, the girls were gone.

Jack began to growl with anger before jumping up to where Boogie was lying and gripped his town skin. _**"Where are they?!"**_

Oogie began to laugh evilly. "Did you really think that it'd be that easy? The fight isn't over yet."

The villain continued to laugh as he began to sink into the dark hole he created. That's when the building began to shake. "We have to get out of here!" Goofy yelled.

Everyone nodded. Jack and Sora helped Donald and Goofy get up to where they were before they ran out of the room.

…

…

…

When the guys ran out of the building, darkness began to surround it. Once it disappeared, Oogie Boogie managed to combine with it and have giant purple spheres attach to him.

"_**This battle is not over! I will not be defeated. I will use these spheres to defeat you and take the princesses to Maleficent! And the best part is, is that you'll never find out which on has the girls in it!" **_The villain laughed.

"We need to get rid of those orbs. Let's split up. The first one to find the girls will stay with them." Sora commanded.

Everyone nodded and went to work. They ran towards the Oogie-infused building and began working on getting rid of the orbs. Soon, they had four orbs down. But, the more orbs they destroyed, the more Heartlesses were summoned. After a few more minutes of defeating Heartlesses and destroying orbs, there were only two more left.

"Alright guys, we have two more left." Sora announced.

"That means that once they're gone. The girls will be rescued and Oogie will be defeated." Goofy cheered.

"Yeah, but we're going to have to hurry. I'm not sure how much more darkness the girls and survive." Jack said with concern.

The guys all nodded before they ran towards the Oogie-infused building again. They used their weapons and claws to climb towards the top. One orb was towards the front while the other one was on his back. The group of five agreed to split up. Sora and Donald went towards the front while Zero, Goofy, and Jack went towards the back.

Soon Donald and Sora reached the orb that was attached to Oogie's front. They moved to look inside and saw that Ke'Ania was curled into a ball.

"Ke'Ania!" Sora gasped.

He summoned his Keyblade and began hacking at it. With Donald's fire magic, they were able to rip the orb open, causing Ke'Ania to fall out. In order to catch her, they jumped off and fell towards her. When he was close enough, Sora grabbed her and held her close before Donald use his wind magic to help them land safely.

"Ke'Ania?" Sora called out.

"Don't worry, Sora. She'll be fine. We just need to keep her away from the Darkness for a day or so." Donald sighed in relief.

"_**AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! CURSE YOU JACK SKELETON!"**_ Oogie yelled as the Darkness began to engulf the villain and kill him.

While Oogie was dying, Jack, Goofy, and Zero fell next to them safely, thanks to Donald's wind magic.

"We did it!" Goofy cheered.

Everyone was about to cheer until Sora spoke. "What's wrong, Jack?"

"I managed to find Sally, but by time I opened the orb, the Darkness took her. She's gone now." Jack sighed sadly.

Everyone lowered their heads at Jack's words. Sora moved from here he laid Ke'Ania to place a hand on the skeleton's shoulder. "Don't worry, Jack. We'll get her back."

"Thanks guys." Jack sighed. "I'm going back to tell the town what happened and that the celebration will be postpone until Sally has returned."

"What about the Heartlesses? What are toy going to do with them?" Donald asked.

"I'm going to get rid of them. Sally was right. I shouldn't have messed with them. I should've listened to her." Jack said sadly. "I wish you the best, guys. I'll be in town when you come back with Sally. Come on Zero." Jack turned to walk away until something in his pocket began to glow. He reached in and pulled out a locket.

"What's that?" Goofy asked.

"This was a locket I was going to give to Sally. But, why is it glowing?" Jack questioned.

"It's for me to use to seal your world's Keyhole and protect it from the Darkness." Sora answered before sealing the Keyhole.

Once that was done, everyone said a final goodbye before parting. Sora moved to pick Ke'Ania up bridal-style and carried her back to the Gummi Ship.

…

…

…

**Next Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

They got to Neverland.


	40. Neverland is to Close for Comfort

**Author's Note:**

I know that Wendy isn't a Pure Heart Princess, but for the sake of my story she is one in here.

**Warnings for This Chapter:**

Nothing special

…

…

…

**Last Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! CURSE YOU JACK SKELETON!" Oogie yelled as the Darkness began to engulf the villain and kill him.

While Oogie was dying, Jack, Goofy, and Zero fell next to them safely, thanks to Donald's wind magic.

"We did it!" Goofy cheered.

Everyone was about to cheer until Sora spoke. "What's wrong, Jack?"

"I managed to find Sally, but by time I opened the orb, the Darkness took her. She's gone now." Jack sighed sadly.

Everyone lowered their heads at Jack's words. Sora moved from here he laid Ke'Ania to place a hand on the skeleton's shoulder. "Don't worry, Jack. We'll get her back."

"Thanks guys." Jack sighed. "I'm going back to tell the town what happened and that the celebration will be postpone until Sally has returned."

"What about the Heartlesses? What are toy going to do with them?" Donald asked.

"I'm going to get rid of them. Sally was right. I shouldn't have messed with them. I should've listened to her." Jack said sadly. "I wish you the best, guys. I'll be in town when you come back with Sally. Come on Zero." Jack turned to walk away until something in his pocket began to glow. He reached in and pulled out a locket.

"What's that?" Goofy asked.

"This was a locket I was going to give to Sally. But, why is it glowing?" Jack questioned.

"It's for me to use to seal your world's Keyhole and protect it from the Darkness." Sora answered before sealing the Keyhole.

Once that was done, everyone said a final goodbye before parting. Sora moved to pick Ke'Ania up bridal-style and carried her back to the Gummi Ship.

**Onto The Next Chapter…**

…

…

…

**Chapter 35: Neverland is to Close for Comfort**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

**GROAN**

My whole body ached for some reason. Nothing felt right. I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was in my room.

"_How did I get here?"_

"_**Morning."**_ I turned my head to see Sora sitting on the edge of my bed. "How do you feel?"

"Fine, just a little dizzy. What's going on? How did I get in my room?" I asked while sitting up, ignoring how heavy my head felt.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Sally, Zero, and I were getting the ingredients you guys asked for when we were ambushed by Lock, Shock, and Barrel. That's all." I answered.

"They kidnapped you and brought you to Oogie Boogie. He used the darkness to control both Sally and you. We managed to defeat him and rescue you… but we lost Sally. I'm sorry."

His apology didn't do anything to heal me. Hearing that we were captured so easily saddened me. All I could do was lower my head in shame.

"It was all my fault." I whispered.

"No its not."

"Yes it is. I was supposed to protect her. But, I couldn't even save myself. How could I've saved Sally when I couldn't even save myself from the Darkness? It was too strong and it's only getting stronger." I said.

"And so are you."

"Oh yeah? How'd you figure?" I asked.

"Because I've watched you. I've been watching you get stronger and use almost each failure to help you get that strength. We all do. You aren't the only one who gets discouraged and sad whenever we lose another princess. But, while watching you, I think I might've figured out your problem." This confused me so I lifted my head and listened to what he had to say. "The problem lies here." He answered as he pointed to my chest.

"In my chest?"

"Well, technically. Quick question. Where does your power come from?"

This made me slightly worried and made me tense up. "Within me."

"Your heart right? I mean, you're not called a Pure Heart Princess for nothing." Sora smiled.

"You think something might be wrong with my heart?"

"Not exactly. I think that you're not tapping into your true powers."

"Alright, now I'm totally lost." I said with brown eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is that I've noticed that you only tap into your physical and elemental strength. But I think you need to start tapping into your heart's strength. I'm starting to believe that just having a pure heart is not enough. Maybe, just like your other strengths, you need to strengthen it too. I might be wrong, but it's defiantly something to think about." Sora smiled after he finished explaining.

I let his words roll over in my head before putting on a smile of my own and moving forward to hug him. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I need to start focusing on my other strengths and stop ignoring one of my most important power. Thank you, Sora."

"You're welcome."

I felt my heart practically jump out of my chest when I felt him hug me back. Despite knowing that he loves me, every time he touches me an electrical surge flows through me. I sometimes wonder if it'll ever go away. I only just wish that it won't.

We held onto each other for a little while longer before finally pulling apart. That's when I flicked his nose. "Ouch, what was that for?"

"When did you get so smart?" I teased. We both laughed for a little bit when we heard the alarm go off. "Looks like it's show time."

"Let's go then."

…

…

…

We ran from my room into the Bridge to see what was going on.

"Hey Ke'Ania. How ya feeling?" Goofy asked me.

"I'm fine. Thanks for asking." I smiled. "Alright Donald, what world has appeared now?"

"It's a world called Neverland." Donald answered.

"Neverland? What's there?" Sora questioned.

"It says here that in Neverland anything you imagine can be made possible and anyone who stays here will never grow older. Whoa, it sounds like a child's paradise." I stated.

"This should be exciting. Alright Donald, takes us there." Sora commanded.

"Ay, ay Captain Sora." Donald said before steering the ship towards the new world.

…

…

…

After everyone showered, ate, and changed into our clothes, we watched as Donald steered us into Neverland's atmosphere. When we entered, we were all amazed at all of the stares that where shining so brightly in the night sky.

"It's so pretty here." I said in amazement.

"Hey, what's that?" Goofy asked.

We looked closer and saw that there was something big floating in front of us.

"Is that…a ship?" Donald questioned.

"How can a ship be flying? Is that even possible?" I asked in shock.

"Well, it said that anything is possible here. Donald, pull us alongside that ship." Sora commanded.

After Donald pulled us up to the side, we snuck onto the bottom of the ship without any trouble. "Security is a bit laxed here, huh?" I said while taking a look around.

"Maybe it's because we're not on the top deck?" Donald guessed.

"_**Or maybe it's because Captain Hook is an old scally wag who doesn't know how to run a ship to save his life."**_ We jumped and turned around with our weapons in hand when we heard a voice coming from behind us. "Whoa, whoa. Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you."

We were surprised to see a red haired boy in a green leotard standing before us.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Peter Pan. Who are you guys?"

"My name is Ke'Ania. I'm a Pure Heart Princess. And these are my friends; Sora, the Keyblade Master, and they're Donald and Goofy, friends of King Mickey." I introduce.

"Nice to meet you." Peter Pan bowed.

"So, um, what are you doing down here? Are you trapped?" Sora questioned.

"No. I'm just waiting for someone." He answered with a smirk. We all looked confused until a bright, small light flew in and stopped in front of him. "Hi Tink. Did you find her?" The little light bounced up and down slowly. "Good job Tink." That's when the little light began to fade and a small fairy with her blond hair in a bun and wearing a lime green dress appeared. She looked mad as she had her arms folded and her head turned to the side. "Don't look so mad, Tink."

"Excuse me, but who's this?" Sora asked.

"This is my fairy friend, Tinker Bell. She doesn't talk much, but has a lot of sassy attitude. She's the one I've been waiting for. You see, one of my friends Wendy, who's also a Pure Heart Princess, was captured and brought on this ship by Captain Hook. He planned on bringing her to this evil witch named Maleficent, or something like that. So Tink and I snuck on board to try and rescue her." Peter explained.

After Peter was finished, Tink huffed again before turning away from Peter and towards us.

"Looks like she's jealous of Wendy." Donald laughed.

At hearing Donald laughing at her, Tinker Bell flew over and kicked Donald in his bill. Everyone laughed while Donald began a screaming match. Trying to prevent him from getting us caught, Goofy jumped on him and held his bill closed.

"Quiet Donald. Ya wanna get us caught."

"What's that, Tink?" Peter asked, causing us to look at him with curiosity. "Are you sure?"

"What's she saying?" Sora questioned.

"She says that when she found Wendy, there was another girl with dark red hair with her."

"That's Kairi!" Sora and I shouted together.

"She also said that on her way back here, she passed Captain Hook talking to a mysterious silver haired boy."

"That's Riku!" Sora and I shouted together again.

"Those friends of yours?" Peter asked.

"Yeah. When the Darkness took over our world, they were engulfed in it. We've been searching for them everywhere we've visited, but haven't had any luck since we were in Monstro. It's good to know that they're both safe, sound, and here." I informed.

"Yeah. Real glad." Sora huffed with his arms folded and a roll of his eyes.

"Ha. Looks like Tinker Bell isn't the only one who has a jealously issue." Donald teased before groaning in pain when Sora and Tink hit him.

"Ok, so we know that they're on the boat. What are we going to do?" Goofy asked.

"We're going to split up. Tink and I are going to save Wendy and Kairi while you boys go and save Riku from Captain Hook. We'll cover more ground that way." I ordered.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, especially after yesterday. Staying together is the best option right now." Sora said, trying to convince me.

I just shook my head, grabbed his hand to hold it with mine. "You said today that I need to learn to tap into my other powers right? Well, being in a situation that might help me do that is the best place to start. Have some faith in me. I promise I'll be fine, especially with Tinker Bell by my side." I gave him a quick peck on his cheek before moving away from him. "We'll meet you guys up top. Be safe!" I called out before turning to leave with Tink.

…

…**.**

…

When we were out of earshot and after walking up a set of stairs, I decided to get to know more about this little fairy.

"So Tink… are you jealous because you _**like **_Peter?" My question made her stiffen a little before she started on a mini-spasm. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'm sorry calm down. I can see that you liking him is a sensitive subject." I continued to tease her, laughing when she started her min-spasm again.

In the middle of all of that, three Heartless Pirates appeared. "Heartlesses?" I summoned my Keyblades and got into my fighting stance. "Ready to go Tink?"

She flew ahead of me and sprayed them with some pixie dust that paralyzed them. Not wasting any time, I ran towards them and eliminated them with one swing of my Keyblades.

"We make a pretty good team." I smiled before high fiving her. "Come on. Let's keep moving.

…

…

…**.**

We kept walking, fighting more Heartless along the way until we reached a room. My heart began to beat faster and I smiled with glee.

"They're behind this door."

I opened the door and smiled when I saw a girl with brunet hair and a sky blue dress and Kairi in the room.

"Stay back! I'm warning you!" The girl yelled as she pointed a stick at me.

"Ke'Ania?" Kairi called out.

"Kairi! I'm glad you're safe!" I smiled.

My sister jumped up and ran to hug me. I held her close and sighed in relief.

"Kairi? You know this girl?" The girl asked.

"Yes. This is my adoptive sister, Ke'Ania. Ke'Ania, this is Wendy." Kairi introduced after pulling away from me.

"Hello." Wendy bowed.

"Nice to meet you. Now come on. I'm here to rescue you guys and get you off this boat." I said.

"How are you going to rescue us? And how did you even get on this boat in the first place?" Kairi asked.

"You've missed a lot, but I promise that I'll fill you in after I get you guys out of here." I informed.

"Excuse me, but do you know Peter Pan? He promise to come for me." Wendy asked.

"Yes. I just saw him. He's with my friends Sora, Donald, and Goofy. They went to go defeat Captain Hook and rescue our other friend Riku." I explained.

"Sora and Riku are here too? Ke'Ania, what's going on?" Kairi questioned.

"Like I said, you've missed a lot. But, I'll explain later. Right now, we need to get you guys out of here before the crew discover you guys are gone."

The two girls nodded in agreement before following me and Tinker Bell out of the room.

…

…

…

Tink and I led them out of the room, but I let Tink take the lead since she knew the layout of the boat more than I do.

"How much longer until we reach the top?" Kairi asked.

I looked to see Tink pointing towards a door down the hall.

"She says that it's right through that door." Wendy answered.

"You can understand her?" I questioned.

"Yes. Peter taught me." She explained.

"Who is this Peter Pan you keep talking about? Is he your boyfriend?" Kairi teased.

This made a hard blush appear on Wendy's cheeks. "No! I mean~"

"Calm down, Wendy. It's alright." I said with a gentle smile. Wendy took a few calming breaths. "Now, since he isn't your boyfriend, does he at least know that you like him?"

"No." Wendy said with her head lowered.

"You need to tell him." Kairi encouraged.

"Oh no. I can't." Wendy objected.

"Yes you can. Let me give you some advice. If you want someone, you have to tell them how you feel before it's too late. Because fate will either dangle or drop him in front of your face and if you don't say or do something, then you'll lose him forever. I had to learn that the hard way and don't want to see it happen to you." I said.

"What do you mean you had to learn that the hard way?" Kairi asked.

I turned to look at her with sad, blue eyes. Up until now, I had forgotten that Kairi liked Sora. It made me sad to realize it now, especially since he told me that I was the one he loved. I felt like a traitor. Despite not being able to control how Sora feels about me, I still felt like I stabbed Kairi in the back and took the one person that she liked away from her. Since there is nothing I can do about the situation now, I can only hope that my adoptive sister can forgive me.

"Kairi~" I began, but was interrupted when I heard Wendy scream. I turned around to see that a Loudmouth, Air Pirate, and a Barrel Spider appeared.

"What are those things?" Kairi asked in panic.

"They're Heartless. They're similar to the ones that took us on Neverland." Wendy answered.

"What do they want?" Kairi shouted.

"They want us now stay back. Go Tink!" I commanded as I summoned my Keyblades.

Tinker Bell used her pixie dust to paralyze the Loudmouth and Barrel Spider, but the Air Pirate dodged it. I quickly ran towards the paralyzed Heartless and killed them with one swing. While I was doing that, Tinker Bell was trying to hit it with her pixie dust. But, when she got close enough, the Air Pirate knocked her back with one of its wings.

"Tinker Bell!" We all yelled.

Wendy was the one to run over to pick her off the ground. While we were distracted, the Air Pirate swooped down and tried to attack us. We managed to dodge by hitting the ground. When it didn't get any of us, it flew back towards the top of the hallway's ceiling. I had to think of something. I needed to defeat it quickly or else it might sound an alarm to the others.

"Hey! Over here! Come get me!" I called out while waving my Keyblades at it.

It swooped down and tried to attack me, but I was able to roll out of the way in time. When I stopped rolling, I dispelled my left Keyblade and used that hand to shoot lightning bolts at it. It managed to evade all of my bolts, except for one. I noticed that when it was hit by my last bolt, it became severely wounded. Deciding to use that to my advantage, I added lighting to my Lovely Keyblade in my right hand before getting ready to attack again.

"Alright. I think it's time you become grounded." I said before raising my right hand and throwing my Lovely Keyblade. It managed to dodge it, but it didn't count on what happened next. While it was busy dodging my Lovely Keyblade, I summoned my Yin-Yang Keyblade and jumped up. By time it turned around to see me, I had already added lightning to my Yin-Yang Blade and sung it at the Air Pirate. It screeched in pain before disappearing.

I jumped down and caught my Lovely Keyblade before dismissing them both. When I turned back to see how Tink was doing, I was met with Wendy and Kairi's amazed faces. I decided to ignore them and worry about Tinker Bell. I walked over to where Wendy was holding her and stared at her. She was still unconscious, so I summoned a drop of water and let it land on her face. A moment after it hit, Tinker Bell woke up.

"You ok?" I asked. Tink nodded before getting up and flying out of Wendy's hands. "Good." I nodded in approval. I stood up and dusted imaginary dust off of me before deciding to address their confusion. "I know you two are confused about what you just saw, but there's no time to explain. Just stay close to me. Tink and I will protect you. Tinker Bell. Lead the way."

Tink nodded before flying over towards the door. We all followed her, but none of us were ready for what we saw next.

I opened the door to the top deck and saw that Peter Pan, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were flying above the deck and fighting Heartless being controlled by a pirate dressing in a long red coat.

"That's Captain Hook." Wendy announced.

"Sora! Peter!" Wendy, Kairi and I called out, causing the boys to turn around to see us.

"Are you girls ok?" Goofy asked.

"We're fine!" I called back.

"Peter!" Wendy yelled out before running towards him.

"Wendy no!" I shouted as I tried to stop her. But it was too late. She ran right into a dark hole that Hook created.

"**WENDY!"** Everyone yelled.

Tink, Kairi and I ran towards where she disappeared only to get caught in a ring of Darkness.

"Let us go!" Kairi ordered.

"Not a chance, lil lady." Hook smirked before he walked over to where we were being kept. "So you are the girls that Riku was talking about."

"What have you done with him?" I glared.

"Nothing. That little brat of a codfish left on his own. He went to the ruins of Hollow Bastion, where Maleficent resides. Good riddance too. I don't know who he thought he was, coming onto my ship and trying to control my ship and crew? He was way over his head, the scoundrel."

"Let them go, Hook!" Sora yelled before flying down towards us.

"Oh no you don't." Hook said. Next thing we knew, Kairi and I gasped when we noticed the ring getting smaller. This made everyone stop what we were doing to look at Hook. "This ring will keep getting smaller and smaller until both are engulfed into darkness. The only way to save them is to defeat me. And if either of them try to use their Pure Heart powers, the ring will only shrink faster. Also, if any of them touch the ring, then they will automatically be teleported to Hollow Bastion."

"Sora! Help us!" I yelled out as I stared above at him.

"Don't worry girls, I'll rescue you guys." He replied.

"Please, be careful." I told him.

"I will." He nodded before flying off to fight the rest of the Heartlesses and Hook.

With nothing else to do, I decided to sit down. Kairi followed my example. We were in the middle, far enough away from the edge of the ring and in, what we dubbed the "safe zone".

"You want to tell me what's going on now?" Kairi asked, catching my attention.

"I guess now's a good time to explain everything. Well first, after our island disappeared, Sora became the Keyblade Master, I became a Pure Heart Princess, and we met Donald and Goofy, friends of King Mickey. Sora and I fight with these weapons called Keyblades, but we can also use magic too. Kind of like you saw me do a minute ago. We traveled from world to world, trying to protect other Pure Heart Princesses and their worlds by defeating the Heartlesses, the villains who control them, and sealing up their keyholes. The keyholes are the Heartlesses and the villains' only way to infest the world. So it's our job to go from world to world to seal them up. While we were doing that, Sora and I have been looking for you and Riku. We have ran into Riku a few times, but this is the first time we've seen you. So, I guess you're all caught up until this moment." I explained while sheepishly scratching the back of my neck.

"Thanks for that explanation, but that wasn't what I was talking about."

What she said made me really confused. "Then what were you talking about?"

"The relationship you have with Sora. What is it?" She asked.

I could sense a bit of hostility in her tone, making me a little more nervous to answer her question. I swallowed the lump in my throat and began to answer her.

"The other day, Sora, Donald, Goofy and I visited a world called Indian Reserve. We ran into some trouble that ended with Sora and our friend, John Smith, facing execution in the morning. The night before Pocahontas, John Smith's lover, and I snuck in the hut they were being held in to see them one last time. In that tent, Sora and I confessed that we loved each other before sharing a kiss. That's pretty much it. We're not exactly dating, but we tell each other that we love each other. After we return home, we'll start dating." I informed her.

She was silent for a little bit, which made me worried. I knew that this might hurt her, but I wasn't going to keep it from her. She deserved to know the truth. After a moment or so, Kairi finally opened her mouth to say something. What disturbed Ke'Ania was the fact that Kairi started to chuckle lowly.

"Kairi~"

"You're a horrible person." She said suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"You're a horrible person. Spending all of this time with Sora and making him "love you" while I was stuck on Neverland waiting for him to come save me. And what made things worse is that you knew I liked him and you still stole him from me."

I was taken aback by what she was saying. I knew that she would be upset, but this was on a whole other level.

"I did not steal him from you." I defended.

"Yes you did. You knew I liked him, and you made sure to do everything you can to make him develop feelings for you, didn't you. I bet you even played the "dismal in distress" card to keep him running to you every time, huh? But, it's ok because I feel sorry for you."

"Sorry for me?" I said in confusion.

"Yes. All of this was for nothing because he doesn't even love you. I'm the one he actually loves. He only told you that he loved to because he was dying and because he didn't want to hurt your feelings. You know how nice he can get. It's really sad. He's just toying with you. He's actually just trying to find the right time to tell you that he doesn't really love you and let you down easily. If he does have any feelings for you, it's just appreciation. He appreciates your help on this crazy mission you two are forced on. He's in love with me. He's always has been and he always will be…" She finished saying.

I felt rage boil inside of me at her words. "How dare you say such a thing? Look, I'm sorry that you are hurt because of what I told you, but it's the truth and I thought you deserved to hear it from your sister."

"Sister? You're no sister of mine. I never even liked you. You were just a nuance, always whining and crying because you couldn't find your worthless friends when you had people who cared about you in front of your face. You were so ungrateful. The only reason I said you were like my sister was to make you feel welcomed. We all pitied you and just wanted to cheer you up, but you were being an ungrateful brat and now you come to me and tell me that Sora confessed his "love" for you? Hn. You're living in a fantasy world. You need a reality check." She glared.

"You're the one who needs the reality check, Hun. Sora does love me. He told me so and I believe him. You're just mad that he doesn't like you back and I'm sorry about that, but it's not my fault. And I wasn't ungrateful. I appreciate everything your father and everyone else has done for me. That's why I've been putting myself in danger I wanted to find you guys so that we could go home and be a family again. It just hurts that you can't take this like a mature person and just accept the truth. It also hurts hearing you say these words when I remember you saying that our sisterhood would never end over this. What happened to that?"

"In all honesty, I only just said that to ease your hurt when I come back to tell you that Sora loves me." She answered plainly.

"You are so shallow. I thought we were sisters?!" I said after recovering from my shock.

"Look who's calling the kettle black. It's ok because from no on… we're no longer friends or sisters! I hope you rot in the hell you came from." Kairi glared harder as she stood up in front of me.

I don't know what happened, but when Kairi said that, she was hissed in pain. My hazel eyes widen in shock as I saw a white light appear on her chest. The next thing I knew, she was struck by white lightning and the white flew off into the distance. This caused her to grab her chest and began to stumble backwards. She went by the edge. And when she fell down, she touched the edge of the ring and it sucked her up.

"Kairi!" I screamed out. That's when I noticed that the ring was getting progressively smaller. "Sora! Help!"

"I'm coming Ke'Ania!" I heard him yell back, but didn't pay attention. My heartbeat grew when the ring almost touched me and I had nowhere to go. "Ke'Ania!" I heard Sora call out. I looked up to see Sora flying towards me. I lifted up my hand and he used that to grab it and pull me into his arms. "You alright?" He asked. I just nodded my head.

That's when I looked down and saw Peter Pan stab and kill Hook. When Hook died, so did his Heartlesses. Sora flew us closer to the deck and set me down. Everyone ran over to me and kept asking if I was ok.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I answered softly.

"What happened to Kairi?" Goofy asked.

"She touched the ring. I'm sorry." I answered while turning towards Sora.

He just shook his head and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'm just glad you're ok."

"But what about Wendy? What are we going to do about her?" Peter asked.

"We're going to get her, Kairi and all the other princesses back. I promise to hand deliver her myself." Sora reassured him.

I looked at the lost expression Peter wore before he rose his head and nodded. "I'll be waiting here for that day than. Come on, Tink. It's time to go home."

We watched as they waved at us before flying off. I want really paying attention to what was going on around me at this point. I do, however, remember Sora sealing the keyhole up and us getting back on the Gummi Ship.

…

…

…

After we got back on the Gummi Ship, I showered, changed into my pajamas, and braided my hair before laying down on my bed and staring up at the ceiling. The conversation between Kairi and me kept running through my head. I may have gained a lover, but I lost a friend. I started to question if it was worth it. I didn't think so, but I knew that I couldn't help that that's how Kairi perceived things. The only thing left was to decide on telling Sora or not. That's when I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in." I answered automatically.

"Hey." I sat up to see that it was Sora who came into my room. "I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Thanks. Well, goodnight." I said before rolling over on my side, away from him.

"Ke'Ania? What's wrong?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"It's nothing." I replied.

"You're lying." I didn't say anything this time. I felt him sit on the edge of my bed and lay his hand onto of my head. "Come on. Tell me what's up."

"I'm just sad about losing both Wendy and Kairi today." I decided on.

It wasn't a lie. That was also on my mind, but it wasn't as heavy as the other stuff.

"It'll be ok we'll get them back. I don't know how much longer, but I know that we'll be arriving at that Hollow Bastion place Hook mentioned soon. And who knows, maybe all of our friends are there waiting on us. All of the princesses, Riku, Kairi, and maybe even Raven and Saedi." He said. Despite him not knowing about the conversation between Kairi and me, Sora's words managed to comfort me slightly. But, it was when he leaned down to give me a hug and a kiss on my cheek that helped the most. "It'll be ok. Now, get some rest and try not to dwell on it too much. We still have a job to do, right?"

That's when I looked at him before nodding. I watched as he left my room before sitting up and heading over to my desk. I pulled out some paper and a pen and began to write a letter to Wendy about what I told her earlier.

"_Dear Wendy,_

_ I hope that this letter will help you understand what I said to you when I met you. I wanted to share a true story about the same thing with you._

_ Once upon a time, there was a girl and how she met the love of her life and the trails she had to in order to get him because she didn't just tell him in the beginning… This story is called __**'The Forgotten Fallen'**__…"_

…

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…

**To Be Continued…**

They meet the last princess.


	41. Ke'Ania's Nightmare in Lovely Dream

**Warnings for This Chapter:**

Nothing Special. The last princess.

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry, that is has taken me so long to update. Things didn't go the way I wanted it over my Winter Break, but I'm making it up by updating as best as I can. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Also. The end of this story is coming soon and so are the two sequels after it. If anyone is wondering, I am only doing rewrites of "Chain of Memories" and "Kingdom Hearts 2". I will, however, incorporate other games, but not all of them.

…

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**Last Time on **_**"Secret Kingdome Hearts"**_**…**

After we got back on the Gummi Ship, I showered, changed into my pajamas, and braided my hair before laying down on my bed and staring up at the ceiling. The conversation between Kairi and me kept running through my head. I may have gained a lover, but I lost a friend. I started to question if it was worth it. I didn't think so, but I knew that I couldn't help that that's how Kairi perceived things. The only thing left was to decide on telling Sora or not. That's when I heard a knock at my door.

"Come in." I answered automatically.

"Hey." I sat up to see that it was Sora who came into my room. "I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Thanks. Well, goodnight." I said before rolling over on my side, away from him.

"Ke'Ania? What's wrong?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"It's nothing." I replied.

"You're lying." I didn't say anything this time. I felt him sit on the edge of my bed and lay his hand onto of my head. "Come on. Tell me what's up."

"I'm just sad about losing both Wendy and Kairi today." I decided on.

It wasn't a lie. That was also on my mind, but it wasn't as heavy as the other stuff.

"It'll be ok we'll get them back. I don't know how much longer, but I know that we'll be arriving at that Hollow Bastion place Hook mentioned soon. And who knows, maybe all of our friends are there waiting on us. All of the princesses, Riku, Kairi, and maybe even Raven and Saedi." He said. Despite him not knowing about the conversation between Kairi and me, Sora's words managed to comfort me slightly. But, it was when he leaned down to give me a hug and a kiss on my cheek that helped the most. "It'll be ok. Now, get some rest and try not to dwell on it too much. We still have a job to do, right?"

That's when I looked at him before nodding. I watched as he left my room before sitting up and heading over to my desk. I pulled out some paper and a pen and began to write a letter to Wendy about what I told her earlier.

"_Dear Wendy,_

_ I hope that this letter will help you understand what I said to you when I met you. I wanted to share a true story about the same thing with you._

_ Once upon a time, there was a girl and how she met the love of her life and the trails she had to in order to get him because she didn't just tell him in the beginning… This story is called __**'The Forgotten Fallen'**__…"_

**Onto the Next Chapter.**

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**Chapter 36: Ke'Ania's Nightmare in Lovely Dream**

**Sora's P.O.V.**

I was the first one up, besides the magic mops. I waked into the kitchen and sat down.

"Orange juice please with an omelet." I ordered and two mops went straight to work.

When they were done, my food and drink was served in front of me and I dug in. As I chewed my food something kept bothering me. Las night, after we defeated Captain Hook, Ke'Ania hasn't been the same. She was quieter than she normally is and her iris turned into a brown. If memory serves me correctly, brown eyes meant confusion. That's when I began to think…

"_What is it that she's confused about? Last night, when I asked her if she's ok, and she said she was fine. But I know that there's a lot more than what she's telling me. Humph. And knowing her, she's not going to tell me until she's ready. I guess I'll just have to wait until that time comes."_

Sighing at my conclusion, I took the last bite if my food before putting the dishes in the dishwasher. When I turned around and shrieked a little in fright.

"What are you yelling for?" Ke'Ania asked while laughing.

"You almost scared the shit out of me. Why did you sneak up on me like that?" I panted while still holding onto my chest. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest if I don't calm it down soon.

"I didn't sneak up on you. You should learn to be more observant, like me." She laughed again as she reached into the refrigerator and grabbed some cranberry juice.

"Anyway. Now that my mini heart attack is over, how did you sleep last night?" I asked.

"Good. I didn't get to sleep until a little later after you left, but when I did finally fall asleep, it was good." She smiled with green eyes.

"That's good. So, are you over whatever was bothering you?"

This made her stop in the middle of finishing off the last bit of cranberry juice in her cup. I watched carefully as she placed the cup down and her eyes turn from green to brown.

"Yeah, kind of. I mean, you know how I get when we lose another princess. And then we lost Kairi on top of that… it was disheartening." She answered before finishing off the rest of her juice.

I studied her expression and body movement carefully, in silence, for a while before finally sighing in defeat. "I may not know what it is you're not telling me, but I do know that there is much more than what you're giving me." I heard her lightly gasp as her brown eyes turn hazel. Smirking at this, because I hit the nail on the head, I stood up and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's ok. After all of the time we've spent together, one thing that I've come to understand is that no one can force you to talk. But, just know this." I leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips before continuing. "I would like for you to tell me someday. And when that day comes… I'll be ready to listen."

After a few moments, she nodded at my words and watched as I walked out of the kitchen and into my room. Knowing that I have said my peace on the matter, I decided to take a long hot shower to wash an uneasy feeling I had off of me.

…

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…

About an hour later, Donald and Goofy woke up. Ke'Ania joined them for breakfast and then all three of them got ready for the day while I took over the controls. Once everyone was ready to being the day. The alarm began to go off.

"Another world? I thought we got them all?" Ke'Ania questioned in frustration.

"I guess not." Donald shrugged as he walked up to read the information on the world. "It says here that this place is known as Lovely Dream. This is the final place not touched by the darkness due to a Pure Heart Princess residing here. She must be the last one and one of the strongest too."

"Gee, why do you say that, Donald?" Goofy asked.

"Because this is Maleficent's home world. You would think that it would've vanished first."

"Wow. She must really be strong. We better hurry and get to her. Who knows how long until Maleficent might take another crack at taking her." I suggested.

"Yeah! And maybe, if Maleficent shows up, then we can kill her right then and there. That way, taking the princesses and ending all of this will be easier without that witch in the way! Alright Sora, full speed ahead!" Ke'Ania commanded with a smile and bright yellowed eyes.

"Yes, ma'am!" I smiled back as I drove the ship towards the world.

…

…

…

"Good landing, Sora. You really are getting better at driving the Gummi Ship." Donald praised.

"Thank." I said back.

We walked for a little bit before Goofy stopped everyone.

"What's up?" Ke'Ania asked.

"I hear singing." He answered with one of his ears raised. "Listen."

We were all quiet until we heard two people singing a beautiful song.

"Let's go check it out." Ke'Ania suggested.

"We don't really have time for detours." I said.

"Come on, Sora. It might be the princess and prince of this world." Donald argued.

"It is. I can feel her." Ke'Ania added.

"Alright then. Lead the way, Ke'Ania." I ordered.

…

…

…

After walking for a few moments, we found the singing duo surrounded by some of the forest creatures. The princess was dressed in a long gray skirt that reached her mid-calf, a white petticoat, and a black bodice with matching headband. I looked down and noticed that she was barefoot. It's weird. If Ke'Ania hadn't said she was the princess I wouldn't believe it. Well sort of. That fact that she's dancing with a taller guy who looks like a prince, het long golden hair that reached her waist, red, full lips, and heavenly voice are the only factors to ruin that thought.

"Beautiful." Goofy sighed.

"Yeah, she's a princess alright. Only a true princess can sing like that. And only a true princess can fall in love like that." Ke'Ania chuckled.

"Who's there?!" The guy yelled out as he pushed the princess behind him and held his sword in his hand.

Realizing the gig was up, we all came out of the bushes. "Relax. We're not here to harm you." I said.

"Then who are you?" The princess asked again.

"My name is Sora. I'm the Keyblade Master. This is Donald and Goofy. They're friends of King Mickey. And this is Ke'Ania. She's a Pure Heart Princess." I introduce.

The prince gasped as he put his sword away and kneeled before us along with the princess. "Forgive me. It's an honor to be in the presence of the people in charge of saving our worlds. My name is Prince Philip."

Ke'Ania moved to stand in front of the princess and helped her stand. "There's no need to be nervous. I'm a Pure Heart Princess, just like you."

"Oh? You must have me mistaken for someone else. I am merely a peasant girl who lives in the forest." She said as she backed away.

"You're a Pure Heart Princess? Gee, and I don't even know your name." Philip said as he approached her. She became nervous and ran away with her animal friends following close behind her. We tried calling for, but she didn't stop. "Damn. I really wanted to know her name."

"Don't worry, we'll track her down for ya." Goofy smiled.

"Really? That would be great. Thank you." Philip said before hoping on his horse. "But wait. There is one thing I must ask you. Why did you come here? Your land has not been touched by Darkness once. You're supposed to be protecting us from what?"

"This is Maleficent's home world and that girl is the last remaining princess. We came here to protect her and try to stop Maleficent before she can harm this world." I informed.

"Well, I wish you the best. I hope to see you guys again. Come on Samson. Let's go home." He said as he patted his horse's head and rode away.

"Can you still track her, Ke'Ania?" Donald asked.

"Yeah."

"Then lead the way. We don't want anything happening to her, especially this early." I said before we ran after Ke'Ania to where the princess was headed.

…

…

…

After what seemed like forever, Ke'Ania finally stopped in front of a cottage.

"She's in there. Let's be careful not to scare here." Ke'Ania suggested before knocking on the door.

No one answered, so Ke'Ania opened the door. The house was dark as we entered it with caution.

"Stop intruders!" We jumped back at hearing a voice. I grabbed my chest, trying to calm my heart when three fairies and stepped in front of us. "Who are you?" The fairy dressed in red asked.

"You're the strangers from the forest." The princess gasped. "How did you kind me?"

"I tracked you. All Pure Heart Princesses have a link that allows them to find one another." Ke'Ania explained.

"Pure Heart Princess? That must mean that you are ones we've been waiting on. Did you hear that, Flora? They've finally come." The green fairy smiled with glee.

"I can see that Fauna. I'm sorry, dear children. But we were entrusted with watching over the Pure Heart Princess of this world for 16 years. We couldn't take any chances." The fairy named Flora informed us.

"Aunt Flora, Fauna, Merryweather? Why does everyone keep calling me a Pure Heart Princess when I'm not?" The princess asked, causing the expression on each fairies' face to sadden.

The blue fairy, known as Merryweather, stepped forward and grabbed the princess' hands. "That's because you are dear. You are the Pure Heart Princess of this world. You have been the only thing protecting this world from being taken over by the Darkness. We're sorry for not telling you this earlier, Aurora."

"Aurora? My name isn't Aurora. It's Briar Rose." The princess argued.

"No it's not. Your real name is Aurora. You are the princess born from King Stefan and Queen Leah." Fauna said.

"What's going on here? Tell me! Who am I?!" Aurora yelled as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Sixteen years ago, on the day you were born. You were betrothed to be married to King Hubert's son. Merryweather, Fauna, and I arrived to grant you one wish each. I gave you the give for beauty. Fauna gave you the gift of song. And, right when Merryweather was about to give you her gift, Maleficent showed up and up a curse on you. She said that by your sixteenth birthday, you would prick your finger on a spinning wheel and die. But, Merryweather changed the curse. Still fearful of the curse, your father ordered that all of the spinning wheels in the kingdom be destroyed. Yo further protect you, the three of us took you in the dead of night a brought you here. Here, we raised you in secret and protected you from Maleficent finding you. I'm sorry that we had to lie to you. But, it was for your own good." Flora explained.

The look on Aurora's face was one of complete and utter shock and devastation. To steady herself, Aurora fell into the nearest chair and tried to digest everything given to her.

"So my real name is Aurora and I'm the Pure Heart Princess of this world? So what now? Today is my sixteenth birthday. What's going to happen now?" She asked, fear of the answer shown in her eyes.

"Since it is your birthday, the spell will be canceled by midnight tonight. So, tomorrow morning, we'll take you back to your parents. There, you will resume being the princess you were supposed to be." Merryweather answered.

"What about you three. Will you be there?" She asked, fear still shining brightly in her eyes.

"Oh yes. We'll be there to watch over and serve you. We won't ever abandon you." Fauna smiled, tears began to form in the corner of her eyes as well.

The room's atmosphere felt heavy as we all waited for what Aurora was going to say next. Finally, after eternity, she got up and went to hug her caretakers. "There's nothing to forgive. I know that you only did it to protect me. This was a lot to take in, but if you guys remain by my side, then I think I'll be able to make it through all of this. I love you three very much."

"And we love you." The three fairies said in unison.

"This is such a sweet moment." Ke'Ania said as she touched her heart. "But, wait. I have a question. You said that she was betrothed at birth right? When will she get to meet this guy?"

"He and his father will be there waiting on us to bring Aurora home." Fauna answered.

"But what about that guy you met today? Isn't she ever going to see him again?" Ke'Ania asked.

"What guy?" Merryweather asked worriedly.

"Oh you guys, I met the most wonderful guy in the forest today." She swooned.

"You met a stranger?" Flora questioned with panic laced in her voice.

"Oh he's not a stranger. I met him in my dreams before. Today was the first day I actually met him. Oh, I want you guys to meet him. He's absolutely dreamy. Oh please, can we wait until after meeting him tomorrow before taking me back. It would mean the world to me?"

The three fairies looked at each other worriedly before Flora stepped forward. "I'm sorry, my child. But, as a princess, your duty is uphold the betrothal. You cannot see this boy again. If you do, I'm afraid that it might upset the balance within the kingdom. I'm sorry."

This sadden Aurora greatly. I couldn't imagine being told that I had to marry someone I don't even know nor love. I also couldn't handle being told that I wasn't allowed to love Ke'Ania anymore. That would be too much to bare.

"This can't be. It's not fair!" She yelled before running upstairs crying.

"And we thought she'd be so happy." Merryweather sighed.

"I'll go talk to her." Ke'Ania said as she walked up the stairs to Aurora's room.

"By the way, out of curiosity, what is this prince's name?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Philip." Fauna answered.

"That's great news!" Donald yelled as he jumped up and down.

"Why is that?" Flora asked.

"Because, she was dancing with him in the forest just now. That's the guy she was talking about." Goofy smiled.

"You mean they already met and they like each other? Oh girls this is wonderful. We should tell her." Fauna cheered.

"No. Let's let her find out tomorrow. This will be another birthday surprise for her." Flora giggled with glee before turning towards me. "Young Keyblade Master~"

"You can call me Sora." I interrupted with a smile.

"Sora, you, the king's friends, and another Pure Heart Princess arrived in this world for what purpose. The Darkness hasn't touched us."

"We believe that it's because of Aurora's pure heart is really strong that it battled off Maleficent's Darkness. Plus, with this being the evil witch's home world, maybe her magic has an immunity that no other princess has. We came here to protect her and defeat Maleficent in case she tried to attack Aurora. Also, with her dead, then it'll be easier to rescue the other princesses and our friends." I explained.

"Other princesses and your friends? What do you mean by that?" Fauna asked.

"Every world we've ever been to, the Pure Heart Princesses were captured and sent to a place called Hollow Bastion. Even some of our friends, Riku and Kairi were sent there. They're from my home world called Destiny Island. Ke'Ania isn't from my world. She came from another world that was swallowed by Darkness. And apparently, her two bets friends, girls named Raven and Saedi, were swallowed too. This while time we've been searching for them. We already know that the princesses, Kairi, and Riku are there. She's hoping that maybe Raven and Saedi are there too." I informed.

"That's terrible. We hope you find and rescue them." Merryweather said.

"Hey, what if King Mickey is there too?" Goofy thought.

"You think?" Donald asked.

"Ya. I mean, that's where a lot of the Darkness is. Maybe he's on his way there to help us fight it." Goofy smiled hopefully.

"I hope so." Donald sighed.

"Me too." I nodded before we all turned around to see Ke'Ania and Aurora coming down the stairs.

"How are you feeling honey?" Fauna asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. A little heart broken, but fine." She said as she whipped away one last tear.

"Well, that'll end soon because we have one more surprise for you." Flora smiled.

"Really? What is it?" Aurora questioned as her mood increased.

"You'll have to find out tomorrow. Now, how about you blow out your candles so that we can celebrate your birthday and triumph over that wicked witch." Merryweather said she led Aurora over to the cake.

We all clapped our hands when Aurora blew out the candles. We celebrated her birthday until the sun set. Once it did, everyone got ready for the long trip tomorrow. The fairies made room for us to sleep in the small cottage and pretty soon, the house was quiet and dark as everyone slept.

…

…

…

The next day, towards the morning, we left the cottage behind. Aurora was dressed in her pink dress with a black cloak over her as we walked through the forest and sailed to the island the land that connected to the castle's bridge was attached to. We traveled through an almost emptied village and finally came to the castle. It was an impressive structure. We walked into the throne room and met with the King and Queen. The queen had on a long dark pink and lavender dress, an aqua veil, a dark magenta cape, and a golden crown. She looked just like Aurora. Next to her was the king. He was dressed in black and yellow clothes, a red collar, and a golden crown. Both practically cried tears of joy as we walked into the room and bowed in front of them.

"Your majesties. We have brought you your daughter, Princess Aurora, and the ones in charge of protecting our world. This is the Keyblade Master, Sora, King Mickey's friends, Donald Duck and Goofy, and this is Ke'Ania. She is one of the Pure Heart Princesses." Flora introduced.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. I am King Philip and this is my wife, Queen Leah." He introduced.

"It's our pleasure." We all said in unison before standing.

We watched as the speechless queen walked over to Aurora, who was still kneeling. She took off the hood and stared into her daughters eyes.

"We've been waiting sixteen years for you." She smiled as she helped Aurora stand.

"Mother. Father… It's very nice to meet you." She finally spoke.

The king and queen hugged their daughter tightly for a few moments. I don't know how it feels to be reunited with one's parents, but I think it's like how I felt when I was reunited with my friends. That's close enough. Once they released each other and whipped the tears from their eyes, we all turned towards door.

"Aurora. I would like for you to meet King Hubert and his son, Prince Philip. He's your betrothal." King Stefan announced.

A fat man with white hair, dressed in a golden shirt and red coat walked into the room and embraced King Stefan with Prince Philip behind him. When the prince saw us, he gasped before speed walking over to Aurora. The two stared into each other's eyes before a twinkle could be seen.

"You knew about this?" Ke'Ania asked me.

"We helped plan it." I smirked in pride.

I blushed when she kissed my cheek. "You're such the romantic."

"Excuse me. But, have we met before?" Aurora teased with a smile.

"Why yes we have, in our dreams." He answered back with a smile before taking her hand and leading her into dance.

"You've two met before?" King Hubert and Stefan asked, confusion laced in their voices.

"Father, this is the girl I told you about yesterday." Philip said as he held her close.

"And this is the guy from the forest I told you three about." Aurora added.

"We know. This is our surprise to you. Happy birthday, Aurora!" The fairies cheered.

"Stefan, I propose a toast. To the wedding that will take place tomorrow!" King Hubert announced.

"Now Hubert. Don't you think that it's a bit early to be thinking about that?" King Stefan asked.

"But father. I would love to get married to the one I love tomorrow." Aurora said as she smiled lovingly into Philip's eyes.

"I agree. We would like to be wed tomorrow night." Philip announced.

The two fathers were stunned, so Queen Leah walked over to them and smiled as she put her arms around them. "If this is what you truly want then we will not object. Stefan, Hubert I leave you to the plans."

"Of course my queen. A toast to the wedding of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip!"

We all cheered and celebrated Aurora's birthday again before heading to bed for the night. King Stefan and Queen Leah allowed all of us, including Philip and Kind Hubert to stay within the castle until the wedding tomorrow night. I gave Ke'Ania a quick kiss goodnight before watching her, Aurora and the three fairies go to Aurora's room.

Philip, Donald, Goofy, and I were going to sleep in the rooms on the other side of the hallway. I said my good nights before heading to bed myself.

…

…

…

It wasn't until later that night, I needed to take a piss. So I got up and went to look for a toilet. I cursed when I remembered that in this century indoor plumbing wasn't invented yet. So I went to wake the guys up to find out if they knew where I could go take care of it. We all got up and followed Philip to a room designed for needs such as this. We took care of our business and were about to head back to our rooms until something caught our eyes.

It was a green light coming from down the hallway. All four of us looked at each other and shrugged before getting a closer look. At the end of the hallway, we saw the light disappear around the corner, so we followed it. That's when we saw Ke'Ania and Aurora following it.

"What's going on? What is that thing?" Philip asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good. Ke'Ania's eyes are white and Aurora's are blank. That means that they're under a trance. Donald and Goofy, go get the fairies. Philip, we'll follow the girls." I commanded.

Everyone agreed before splitting up. We followed behind the girls until they reached a room. My senses were on high alert, so I reached forward and tried to grab Ke'Ania, but a force field was protecting them and sent me flying into the wall behind me while the door slammed closed.

"Are you alright?" Philip asked.

"I think so." I grunted as I stood up.

"Sora. Prince Philip. What's going on?" Flora asked.

"The girls are hypnotized and following a green light. They're also protected by force field. I can't touch them." I explained.

"It must be Maleficent. We better hurry. Where are they?" Merryweather asked.

"They're in there." Philip answered.

"There's not a moment to lose. Let's go." Flora said.

I reached for the door and yanked it opened. Right as soon as we walked into to room, the girls were walking into a secret tunnel behind the fire place. We rushed over to them, but ended up smacking into a wall instead.

"Ke'Ania!" I screamed as I pounded on the wall.

"I've got this." Fauna said as she used her magic to dispel the wall.

We ran up the stairs, chasing after the girls. But, every time we thought we were getting closer, the girls seemed to be getting further away.

"_Imma kill that damn witch!"_

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we reached the top of the staircase where there was a room there. We saw the girls walk in there. We were ready to walk into the room and save them, but the same force field that knocked me back was up and blocking the door. We all pushed against it. I tried hacking at it with my Keyblade. Goofy tried his shield. Donald and the fairies tired their magic, but nothing worked. We all stopped when the green light turned into two spinning wheels. The girls began walking towards them, still in their trance.

"Don't touch those!" We all shouted, but they fell on deaf ears.

The girls touched them and within seconds fell to the floor unconscious. As soon as they hit the ground, Maleficent appeared.

"Well, well, well. Look who's here. It's nice to see you all again." She smirked.

"Shut up, before I whip that smirk off your face!" I yelled, still trying to push through the force field.

"How rude. And to think you'd be happy to see me."

"What did you do to them you evil old witch?" Merryweather glared.

"Your curse no longer applies since her birthday passed. So what did you do to them?" Flora asked with anger laced in her voice.

"You're right. Thanks to you three, my original curse was not able to touch Princess Aurora, but I was able to do something else. I placed them under a spell. They will remain asleep until their true loves kiss them. But, that won't happen anytime soon. And since it won't extracting their powers will be easy for me. Now, if you excuse me, I have work to. I finally have all of the princesses in my care. But, don't worry. I promise to keep them alive until I'm through with them!" She laughed darkly as she disappeared with Aurora and Ke'Ania in tow.

When the force field was down, I rushed into the room and looked around. There was no trace of them anywhere. Everyone in the room began to cry. I was filled with so much rage, I fell to the floor and started punching it until my knuckles bled. It took all of them to stop me from continuing. Once I was forced to stop, the only thing I could do was cry and scream with everyone hugging and surrounding me.

…

…

…

Once everyone calmed down, we went to King Stefan and Hubert and Queen Leah's chambers to tell them what happened. They were devastated and fell to the floor while sobbing and holding each other.

"Thank you." I mumbled after Fauna finished healing my knuckles. I flexed my knuckles a few times before putting my glove back on and standing from the table we were sitting at. "Donald, Goofy, let's go."

"Where are you going?" Queen Leah asked.

"To Hallow Bastion. That's where everyone is being held. We're going to go rescue them." I answered, never turning to face them.

"Allow me to come." Philip pleaded.

"No. Only we can go. I need you to stay here. I've already sealed the keyhole to this world, but there might still be some Heartless that try to come through. I will bring Aurora back here personally." I promised.

"Before you go. There is something I would like to give to you." Flora said as she and her sisters stood in front of me. "Summon your weapon." I did as I was told and watched as they used their magic to enchant my Keyblade. "With this magic, you will be able to defeat any foe that crosses your path. And, as a bonus, as long as your heart remains true, your strength will continue to grow."

"Thank you." I nodded before dismissing my blade. "We're off." I announced, staring at everyone in the room.

"Good luck and be careful." Merryweather called out as everyone waved.

…

…

…

We made it back onto the Gummi Ship and I begin to guide the ship towards Hallow Bastion.

"Sora, dontchya think that it'll be better to rest first?" Goofy asked.

"We don't have time for that. They're endanger now." I answered.

"But we can't fight them if we're not at the top of our game. Please Sora. You need to rest and calm down before going into battle." Donald pleaded.

After thinking it over, I sighed in defeat. "You're right. Come on. Let's get some rest." I ordered.

I got ready for bed and was about to go to sleep until I looked out the window. I thought about the look on Ke'Ania and Aurora's face when they were hypnotized and when they fell to the ground. I thought about how useless I felt and it scared me. This would be the first time I would be fighting without Ke'Ania since we found her. She was my mina source of strength, now I'm going to have to do it all on my own.

"_I may not believe in myself, but I know Ke'Ania does. Wait for me Ke'Ania. I'll save you and everyone there. I will be strong and get you back. I promise."_

…

…

…

**To Be Continued…**

…

**Next Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts"**_**…**

Sora, Donald, and Goofy go to Hallow Bastion.


	42. The Princesses and the Keyblade Master

**Warnings for This Chapter: **OC Kairi. Nothing special.

**Author's Note: **Sorry for not being able to update like I promised. From now on, I will not promise anything. The only thing I can promise is that I will complete these stories. I would also like to thank everyone who has been patient with me, I greatly appreciate it. Also, because I cannot get to my flash drive, I will not be able to put up what happened in the last chapter. If you would like to know what happened, you can reread it.

Also, I know that the spelling, grammar and sentence structure isn't the greatest. In fact, I cringe every time I read one of my previous chapters. To edit my stories, is on my bucket list, I swear. But, for now, please just bear with me. Sometimes, I will do it like that on purpose, like when a certain character speaks, but all the other times, it's me messing up and not realizing it until I've already posted it. I **DO NOT **have a beta, nor do I want one. I've had bad experiences in the past with them and if I started using one, then these chapters will never get posted. I do, however really appreciate you guys telling me about my mistakes. They are helping me grow and become more aware of them. Thanks guys and keep it up.

**Chapter 37: The Princesses and the Keyblade Master**

**Ke'Ania's P.O.V.**

"Is she alright?" "I think she's waking up." "Shush or you will wake her."

I kept hearing all of these female voices speak around me.

"Ke'Ania? Can you hear us?" A familiar voice called out.

"Jasmine?" I called weakly.

"Yes. It's me. Can you open your eyes and look at me?" I groaned lightly as I slowly opened my eyes to see all of the princesses surrounding me. "I'm so glad you're alright." Jasmine sighed with her hand over her heart.

"Jasmine? What are you doing here? We saved you and left you at Agrabah. How did you get here?" I asked.

"It was Maleficent. She was still there after you guys sealed the keyhole. And, while everyone was sleeping, she kidnapped me and brought me here. I've been here ever since." She explained.

"_**That damned witch."**_ I growled before rubbing my head and standing up. That's when I looked around and saw all of the princesses that were kidnapped in the same room. "I'm glad to see all of you are alright." I looked a little closer and saw two princesses I didn't meet.

One of them had long brown hair and, hazel eyes, and was wearing a long golden dress. The other was a Chinese girl with long black hair and brown eyes. She wore a beautiful Hanfus that was made up of a yellow-green dress, a blue over shirt with green sleeves, and a red sash around her waist. It was simple, to say the least, but very elegant.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you two. I'm Ke'Ania." I introduced.

"It's a pleasure. My name is Belle and this is Fa Mulan. We're Pure Heart Princesses too." Belle and Mulan nodded after Belle did her introduction.

"If that's true, then how come your world didn't appear on our radar?" I asked.

"Our worlds were devoured before you and the rest of your group could reach us. We've been here the longest. But, through the other princesses, we have heard about your bravery and are very pleased to meet you." Mulan explained.

"I'm sorry to hear about that. I'm sorry to all of you. I feel like I've failed you all. Every single one of you guys are here because I wasn't strong enough to protect you." I apologized.

"Hey Ke'Ania it's alright. You tried your best. That's all that matters." Esmeralda smiled as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

"That's right. We may be here, but at least our homes are safe." Ariel added.

This was the first time I noticed that she was wearing a long sea green, off the shoulder dress.

"Nice dress." I commented.

"I think so too. Although, I don't know where it came from. It must've appeared when I transformed into a human. And, even though I enjoy having legs, they're still kind of hard to get used to." She laughed, falling into Jane's arms when she lost her balance.

"Hey Ke'Ania. I noticed that we're no longer under Maleficent's spell." Aurora gasped.

"Yeah and I'm not longer under the spell from that mean old witch, Queen Grimbilde. I wonder why that is?" Snow White asked.

"I don't know. Maybe it's because their spell wares off after we leave that world?" I guessed.

"That would only make the most logical sense." Jane agreed.

"_**Would you all SHUT UP!"**_

We turned our heads to see Kairi sitting in the corner with her knees pulled into her chest and glare on her face.

"Why don't you shut up. I don't know what your problem is, but you've been having a horrible attitude since you got here." Alice glared back.

"Yeah Kairi. Why do you have such a problem? You seemed fine when we were on Hook's ship. Why the sudden change now?" Wendy asked.

"It's because of me." I said before walking towards my former friend and sister.

"What do you want?" She hissed.

"I'm asking for your help." I said plainly.

"What makes you think that I would help you?" She glared harder.

"Cut the fucking attitude! I understand you're pissed at me about Sora, but that is not reason to be a bitch. Look around you! We are being held captive by an evil witch that plans on using us for world domination before killing us! This is more important than some petty fight, dontchya think!" I yelled.

"I'm not worried. Sora will be here to recuse me in no time. I don't have to move. He's coming for me. You're just jealous that you still can't see that he truly loves me and not you." She sneered.

This caused my blood to boil. Letting my body run on autopilot, I raised my hand and punched Kairi in the face before yanking her up by her white tank top.

"_**Listen here, you annoying little bitch, 'cause I'm only going to say this one final time. Sora is in love with me, got it? And, even though I dislike you right now, I am NOT going to waste my time or energy fighting you over him. I am more mature than that. Plus, there is no point in fighting over an unchangeable fact. What matters to me right now is getting all of the princesses and your bitch ass out of here safely. So, are you with us or not?"**_ I growled at her with my red eyes piercing her blue ones.

"Why do you care if I make it out of here alive?" She glared back.

"_**To be honest, I really don't. But, I know that if I don't help you, then I would be no better than Maleficent and Sora and Riku would be hurt if I didn't save you."**_

"You're a bitch."

"_**And you're a fucking cunt, but that's not going to stop me from doing my job."**_

"Fuck you and your job. I'll sit here and wait for Sora to come rescue me. You and the rest of those dumbasses can go out and get killed while I stay here and wait safely."

"_**Your docile attitude is really starting to piss me off."**_ I sighed. _**"Just because we are Pure Heart Princesses does NOT mean we are helpless. We are not going to sit around here and wait for Sora and the others to rescue us. We're going to fight our way out of here and return home, with or without their help."**_

"You're going to get yourselves killed." She smirked.

This conversation was going nowhere and I was running out of time. _**"Fine." **_I sighed as I dropped her on the floor. _**"Stay your annoying ass here. The rest of us are getting out of here. Come on girls."**_

"_**You girls aren't going anywhere."**_ Maleficent laughed as she appeared in the room.

"_**What are you doing here?"**_ I growled as I summoned my Keyblades.

"_**I came here to collect all of you. It's time to put the last part of my plan into action."**_ She smirked before stabbing her staff into the ground. When she did that, twelve containers appeared along the wall and so did thirteen purple Heartlesses with wands appeared. _**"Wizards! Placed these princesses in their tubes and bring my Ke'Ania!"**_ She commanded.

The girls started to scream and run around, trying to avoid the Wizards trying to capture them. I swung my Keyblade and killed the one trying to come after me. I dismissed one of my Keyblades and shot some of the Wizards down with a lightning spells. That's when that bitch of a witch hit me with a paralyzing spell and brought me over to here.

"_**That will be enough of that."**_ She smirked.

"Let's me go." I struggled to say. I couldn't move and there wasn't enough strength in my body to help me move either.

"_**Oh no, Princess Ke'Ania. Can't you see? You're the most important one. I need all of you to open the Keyhole to this world."**_ She laughed as she took me up the stairs, allowing me to see all the princesses being put into the containers against their will and falling unconscious when they get in. When we reached the top of the stairs, she led me over to a wall and summoned chains to bind me to it. When I became bound, her spell wore off. I still wasn't able to move, but it was better than being completely paralyzed. _**"There. All nice and secured."**_

"What about me?" We heard Kairi call out as she climbed to the top of the stairs.

"_**What about you, dear child?"**_

"You're not going to put me into one of those containers? I'm a Pure Heart Princess too, ya know?" She said with her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing, you idiot? Do you want to be~" I started but was cut off by Maleficent.

"_**On the contrary, silly girl. You are no longer a Pure Heart Princess."**_

"What?!" Kairi and I yelled in confusion.

"What do you mean I'm no longer a Pure Heart Princess?" Kairi asked.

"_**You were considered one when you had a strong source of light being kept within you. We actually wanted you more than Ke'Ania. Judging from our radar, the light within you was even stronger than Ke'Ania's. But, when you stated your hatred for Ke'Ania, the power within you disappeared, leaving you useless. You're nothing but an annoyance now. Get out of my sight."**_ The witch explained.

"But that's not fair! If my light was so much stronger than Ke'Ania's why do you still need her? And where did my light go?"

"_**Child, I do not know where your light has run off to. All I know and care about is that it's gone. And, because Ke'Ania's light is still strong, as long as we have her, we don't need your light. Now go. You're annoying me." **_I could tell that this fired Kairi up. She launched herself towards Maleficent, but only managed to phase right through her. When she landed, Maleficent used her staff to cast the same paralyzing spell she used on me. _**"You just don't know when to give up, do you? But, you are determined to be useful and I think I know just the part for you two to play together." **_She smirked before casting a spell on the both of us.

That evil witch's laughter rang in our ears as we continued to be zipped. I felt me becoming weaker as I began to fade into unconsciousness. The last thing I thought of before finally fainting was about Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

"_Please be careful guys and please get away from here."_

…

…

…

**Normal P.O.V.**

After the girls were unconscious, Riku walked into the room where everyone was.

"_**Take her and put her into position."**_ Maleficent commanded.

He looked at Ke'Ania's unconscious form and became angered. "I thought I told you not to hurt Ke'Ania!"

"_**Relax child. No harm has come to her. She's merely unconscious."**_ Maleficent said before raising her staff. _**"Pure Heart Princesses! Show me the keyhole!"**_ When she said that, a beam of light shot out of each container and Ke'Ania's chest to meet in the center. When they connected, another beam formed and pointed directly in front of them. A heart shaped door with a keyhole in the center appeared before the beams disappeared.

"_**Now, go and get ready. Something tells me that an old friend of yours has arrived as well as a stowaway. Go and take care of the Beast. I'll watch over the girls."**_

Riku was reluctant, but he did as he was told. He picked up Kairi and put her into position before going to meet Sora and his gang in front of the castle's entrance.

…

…

…

**Sora's P.O.V.**

After waking up, eating and getting dressed, Donald found a nice place to land the Gummy Ship. Once we were safely landed, we walked out of the ship and stared at the environment around us.

"Whoa. This place is pretty weird." Goofy said.

"Yeah. The waterfalls are going up instead of down." Donald agreed.

"This place make me feel like I'm on LSD." I commented. That caused them to look at me in suspicion. "I was only just saying. I've never done it before." I said defensively."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go already." Donald commanded with a wave of his hand.

…

…

…

With little to no effort, Donald, Goofy and I made it to the top of the waterfall. But something made me stop.

"Hold on you guys. I hear voices." I said. After listening for a little while, I recognized one of the two voices. "It's Riku!"

I ran to the very top to see Riku and this beast like creature fighting. The creature went to strike Riku, but he dodged it by doing a backflip before moving to strike the beast in his torso. Not being able to see this sight anymore, I jumped in between the two.

"Stop!" I yelled.

"Sora? Hn. It's about time you showed up."

"Riku. What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" I asked.

"No. I gained power. I can see clearly now. I understand everything." Riku stated as he raised his hands towards the sky.

"You're crazy." I said, almost unaccepting of that fact.

"_**Where's Belle?"**_ I turned around to see that it was the beast that spoke.

"You're still alive? Tell me, what is it that keeps you going? How did you manage to escape your world and get here without a single vessel?" Riku asked.

"_**With the strength of my heart, I was able to overcome the Darkness that swallowed my world and used it to lead me here, towards Belle. Belle is the reason I was able to make it this far and is the main source of my heart's strength. So, I'm not leaving without her. I will do whatever it takes to bring her home!"**_ The beast proclaimed.

"Hn. Well it looks like you came all this way for nothing. Belle is here, with the rest of the princesses and she is being used to find the keyhole as we speak." Riku smirked.

"Riku! Enough of this! Snap out of it man! We need to be working together to save Kairi, Ke'Ania and all of the princesses. We shouldn't be fighting against each other. Please Riku." I begged.

He was silent for a moment before finally answering me. "You know Sora. One thing that I realized is that we've always been rivals. For years we've pushed each other to our breaking points and then some. Always trying to best one another. Dontchya remember, Sora?"

"Of course I do. But, that isn't important right now. This isn't a game ya know."

"You seem to think it is." He accused.

"What the hell are you talking about? I wouldn't have fought all the way here to rescue everyone if I thought that it was." I argued.

"Wake up, Sora. Don't you realize that you were just a delivery boy? You were only supposed to deliver the Keyblade to me. There can't be two Keyblade masters. I'm its true master. I have the strength to control and master it. You are nowhere near my level of strength. Now hand it over."

"I don't know what kind of drugs you're on, but you're insane if you think I'd just hand the Keyblade over to you. Especially without a fight." I glared as I summoned the Keyblade.

"Fine. Be that way. Keyblade, come." He called. That's when I felt the Keyblade move. I tried with all of my strength to keep it with me, but it disappeared out of my hands and into his, causing me to stumble slightly. "Just as I thought."

"No. This can't be. There's no way this is right." I whispered in shock.

"When are you going to realize that you never stood a chance? You were never strong enough to defeat me or save the girls. I'll be the one to save everyone while you continue to live in my shadow. Here." I looked up and saw him through a wooden sword, like what we used to play with on the island, at me. "There you go. Now you can keep playing hero with that. Maybe you won't hurt yourself. Now get out of this world. You don't belong here."

And just like that, he was walking away from me with my Keyblade in his hand. I not only lost my best friend, but the weapon that helped me make it here. Besides Ke'Ania and my friends, the Keyblade was the only weapon I had that kept me going. I didn't know what to do now.

"Uh Donald? Where ya going?" I heard Goofy ask.

"I'm following Riku. He has the Keyblade now, so we have to follow him." I looked up to see

Donald standing before us. I could feel tears form in my eyes at the realization that I might be losing my new friends too.

"But, what about Sora? We can't just leave him here."

"We have to remember out mission. We have to follow the Key, no matter who has it." Donald sighed, never looking back at me.

I heard Goofy sigh sadly as he stood up and walked over to where Donald was standing.

"Sorry Sora." Goofy said with sadness in his voice.

"Yeah. Sora. We're sorry."

And just like that… they were gone too. Now, at this point, I was really at a lost. I was all alone. None of the people I've been with is here with me. I was alone. How could I save everyone by myself? For a quick moment, I actually thought about turning back. The sound of huffing caught my attention. I looked up to see the beast was making his way towards the castle, but stopped and fell to his knees.

"Stop before you hurt yourself more." I said as I walked over to him. I kneeled in front of him and observed his wound. "Here, let me help." Using the healing spell I learned from Ke'Ania, I began to heal his wound.

When I was finished, he stood up and thanked me. A few moments of silence passed before he spoke to me.

"_**Sora, was it?"**_ I lifted my head to let him know that I was paying attention. _**"Stop this sulking. It doesn't do you any good. I came here to fight for and find Belle and I'm not leaving without her. If you work up the nerve, then come with me. Otherwise, stay out of my way."**_

I didn't know who this Belle girl was, but I could tell that he cared for her a lot. That made me think about Ke'Ania and all the friends I made along the way. They're all very important to me and they're all relying on me to save them. How could I do that when I'm here sulking? Taking the courage that the beast gave me, I stood up, took the wooden sword into my hand and moved to stand beside him.

"I'm coming too. There are people counting on me. And, if I have to, I will rescue everyone with this wooden sword!"

"_**Good. Then, let's go."**_

"By the way. I never got your name."

"_**You can just call me Beast."**_

"Alright Beast. Let's go rescue everyone."

…

…

…

Together, the two of us made it into the castle with slight ease. There were a few Heartless here and there, but nothing Beast and I couldn't handle. When we made it through the castle's front doors, Beast became distracted by a Belle impersonator. When it reviled to be a Heartless, Beast became angered and jumped towards it.

"BEAST!" I yelled out.

"Well, it looks like he was more gullible than I thought." I turned around to see a sad Donald and Goofy and a confident, smug Riku.

"Riku! Where is everyone?!" I yelled.

"I thought I told you to leave? What are you still doing here?" He sighed.

"I'm here to rescue everyone. And I'm not leaving without doing that." I proclaimed.

"With that wooden sword? You've got to be kidding me. When are you going to realize that you're nothing without the Keyblade?"

"You're wrong. I'm not useless without it. My strength comes from my heart which comes from my friends. They believe in me just like I believe in them. And, as long as they continue to believe in me, I will fight for them. Even if I have to do it with my bare hands." I glared as I held the wooden sword in my hands.

"And what makes you think that I'm going to let that happen?" He asked, his smirk gone from his face.

"Because you're surrounded by Darkness while I remain in the light. And, as long as that remains true, then my heart will be strong against you. My body may die, but my heart will go on forever." I explained.

"Alright. Let's see how that holds up." Riku said before summoning his powers.

His Darkness surrounded him, giving him a new blue and red bodysuit with a white cape around his waist. When his outfit finished forming, he summoned some of his Darkness to his hand before shooting it at me. I knew that the sword wouldn't save me, so I closed my eyes and believed that my heart would save me. But, when I opened my eyes, I saw that it was Goofy who saved me.

"Sorry Riku, but Sora ain't going nowhere."

"You could betray your King, dog?" Riku questioned.

"Not on your life. But, Sora has become one of my best buddies after everything we've been through together, so I'm not going to let him down either." That's when he turned to Donald and spoke. "You tell King Mickey I'm sorry?!"

Donald only shook his head before running towards us. "We can tell him together. I'm not going to abandon you either Sora."

I smiled back at my best friends with happiness felling my chest. "Thank you Donald and Goofy. I can always count on you."

"You fool. If you're never going to learn, then allow me to~ Hey! What's going on?!" Riku shouted as he tried to hang onto the Keyblade. But, in the end, it came back to me. "How could this be?"

"I'm its true master, Riku. And it's time to show you why."

With Donald and Goofy by my side, we raced towards Riku and attacked. He dodged all of our attacks and flipped out of the way before summoning his weapon. Our Keyblades collided for a moment as we held our own against the other. Donald raised his staff and sent a lightning bolt down to separate us. When we did, I added lightning to my blade before throwing it. He dodged it and send a ball of Darkness towards me. I rolled out of the way, caught the Keyblade, and we clashed again. This went on for a little while. Goofy and Donald helped out every now and again, but they mostly sat back. They knew that this was a battle between the two of us.

After a few more rounds of this, I decided to try to end it. I shot lightning bolts at him, drawing him closer to me. When he barely missed one of the bolts, I jumped in and swung my blade. I managed to wound him on his left leg and arm. It wasn't a critical hit, but it was enough to get Riku to back down. He fell to the floor after that hit. His breathing was labored as his outfit and powers drained out of him.

"Riku…" I went to reach for him, out of reflex, but he stood up and ran away as fast as he could with a limp.

"_**You defeated him?"**_ I turned around to see Beast walking back through the doors.

"Yeah. I did." I nodded.

"_**Good. Now let's go. Our important people are waiting for us."**_ Beast commanded.

Everyone nodded in agreement before running off to try and find the girls.

…

…

…

**To Be Continued…**

…

**Next Time of **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

…

The group fights Maleficent and they meet Ansem.


	43. Source of Darkness

**Warnings for This Chapter:** Major battles. You're probably going to hate me for the cliffhanger I'm giving you guys, but oh well.

**Author's Note:**

Again, this story is different for the real one. For this trilogy, there will be a lot of changes and sorts to make things less confusing. This is also due to the fact that this trilogy is only going to include Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts 365/2, and Kingdom Hearts 2.

…

…

…

**Chapter 38: Source of Darkness**

**Normal P.O.V.**

It took them a while, almost half an hour to an hour before they finally managed to navigate through the castle. Now, they're currently standing in front of two large double doors. Each male's hearts felt like they were going to beat out of their chests while light beads of sweat rolled down their bodies. They felt that they were so close to their goal and yet so far away.

"_**Let's go."**_ Beast ordered.

"Do ya think that the girls are behind this door?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know. I can feel Ke'Ania's heart drawing me to this place, but I don't know if they're actually behind this door." Sora said with his hand over his heart.

"There's only one way to find out. Let's go." Donald commanded.

Beast and Sora used their combined strength to open the door. Beyond the doors was a dimly lit hall that led nowhere. It almost looked like a throne room of some sorts. But, that didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was the evil witch that stood smirking at the end of the hall.

"_**Well hello there. I see you finally made it all the way up here. Come to rescue the princesses, have you? How sweet and courageous. Or at least it would be if your efforts weren't in vain."**_

"What do you mean by that?" Donald asked with a glare.

"_**I've already used the Pure Heart Princesses to uncover this world's keyhole. But, thanks to a certain long haired Keyblade wielder, the Keyhole is incomplete. It doesn't matter. I'll figure out how to get her heart unlocked soon enough."**_ She answered with a menacing smirk on her lips.

"What did you do o Ke'Ania?!" Sora yelled as he called his Keyblade and readied himself.

"_**She is unharmed and with the others. But, once I figure out how to unlock her heart… I'll dispose her along with all the other useless princesses."**_

"We'll stop ya." Goofy said as all of them got into an attacking pose.

"_**You think you can stop me? Me, the mistress of all evil? I'd like to see you peons try."**_ She said, her smirk still in place, as she stabbed her staff into the group.

They watched as a piece of the ground suddenly came up and gave her ground to float with. Not waiting anytime, Sora and beast ran towards her but they were blown back when they reached her.

"Damn." Sora cussed.

"You guys ok?" Goofy asked.

"_**How did she manage to do that?"**_ Beast questioned.

"Look! The bottom of her rock is glowing." Donald pointed out. "I think it's magic. As long as it's glowing, we may not be able to touch her."

"_**Very good. Looks like you're smarter than your average dinner meal." **_She chuckled before summoning more Heartlesses.

"Donald, you focus on dispelling that rock. We'll handle the Heartless." Sora commanded.

Everyone nodded in agreement before racing towards her. They dodged her rock in favor attacking the Heartlesses. While they were doing that, Donald tried to get a clear shot, but she kept moving.

"I can't get a clear shot!" Donald groaned.

"I've got it!" Sora said as he added fire to his Keyblade.

When a giant fireball finished forming, he ran towards her and shot it at her.

"_**Fool."**_ She said when she used her magic to block the attack. This gave Donald enough time to use a gravity spell on her rock, officially grounding her. _**"How did you~ No matter. You're still not going to defeat me."**_

She raised her staff to summon large fireballs. The four males managed to dodge each and every one of them, but Beast as the one that was able to get close enough to attack. He swung his claws at her and ripped some of her cloak before he was sent flying backwards. She went to shot a lightning bolt at him, but Goofy used his shield to protect Beast. Donald decided to take a shot at her with his lighting magic. But she countered it with a water spell and turned it on him. That's when Sora went to attack. She shot lightning bolts and fire balls at him, but he dodged them before jumping up and stabbing the witch. She screamed in agony as his blade went through her chest.

"We've got you now, witch." Sora smirked after jumping back.

"_**You'll pay for this."**_ Was all she said before opening a black and purple portal and disappearing into it.

"You're not getting away! After her!" Donald yelled, leading the team through the portal.

…

…

…

"_**Stay back or I'll kill you."**_ Maleficent panted while still holding her chest.

"_**There's nowhere left for you to go. You're power has weakened greatly. Your threats do not bother us. We will slay you witch."**_ Beast said.

"_**I may not be as strong as before, but I still have enough magic and strength to destroy you four."**_ She glared.

"We'll see about that." Sora said before rushing towards her.

But, before he reached her, black vines with thorns wrapped around his body and stopped him in his tracks. Sora hissed at the feeling of having the thorns rip at his clothes and wounding his skin.

"_**Having trouble, Maleficent?"**_ A dark, deep voice asked in a teasing tone.

Everyone looked behind Maleficent to see Riku in his dark body suit and a long slender black Keyblade in his right hand.

"Riku?" Sora called in confusion.

'Riku' turned walked towards the bound Sora with a wide smirk on his face.

"_**Your Riku is gone. I've taken over now, Keyblade Wielder."**_'Riku' answered.

"Well, if you ain't Riku, then who are ya?" Goofy asked.

"_**All be reviled in due time. But for now, I think I'll just show you what my Keyblade can do."**_

"What do you mean? I thought all Keyblades were design to seal the keyhole in all the worlds?" Sora asked in complete confusion.

"_**Hn. It's amazing how the Keyblade, one of the most powerful Keyblades at that, would choose you to be its master. For you to know nothing of the multiple Keyblades and their abilities is actually quite sad." **_'Riku' sighed while shaking his head. _**"Allow me to educate you poor fools. There are multiple Keyblades. The two that Ke'Ania wields along with mine are just a few of thousands of Keyblades throughout the universe."**_

"There really are that many Keyblades in the universe?" Sora questioned.

"_**Yes, and they all do different things. For instance, The Yin-yang Keyblade that Ke'Ania wields is meant to keep the balance among the worlds and within them. Her Lovely Keyblade and my Darken Heart Keyblade have a similar function. Both of ours can release hearts, but that part differs. When Ke'Ania uses her Lovely Keyblade to release a heart, it can send it to its true home safely, protected by her Pure Heart power. Mine, on the other hand unleashes a person's heart by engulfing it in darkness and giving them all that Darkness has to offer them. Hn. It's sad. Both you and Ke'Ania have three of about 15 of the most powerful Keyblades in all of the universe and neither of you know how to use them properly."**_ 'Riku' sighed again as he released Sora from his thorny trap. _**"I guess it's up to me to show you armatures how to 'properly' use your Keyblades. Now, pay attention. Maleficent, allow me to open your heart to the power of Darkness and surrender yourself!"**_

Before she could say anything, 'Riku' stabbed her in her chest. Maleficent yelled in agony at the feeling of being stabbed again before beginning to chuckle. The pain dulled until it was gone the more Darkness flowed through her. After about a minute, 'Riku' removed his Keyblade before stepping back into his dark portal.

"_**I CAN FEEL IT! I CAN FEEL THE DARKNESS FLOWING THROUGH ME! BE HOLD! THE TRUE POWER OF DARKNESS!"**_ She yelled before beginning her transformation.

A cloud of darkness surrounded her and grew as she did. Her features began to transform until she was a 12 foot black and purple dragon.

"Oh no! What are we gonna do now?!" Goofy panicked as he and Donald held each other in fear.

"_**It does not matter what form she takes on. We must defeat her if we want to save everyone." **_Beast ordered as he got ready.

"Yeah. We need to defeat her now! Everyone is counting on us! We can't let them down!" Sora yelled as he got ready, ignoring the dulling pain from the thrones.

Dragon Maleficent gave a mighty roar before she slammed her claws into the ground by the guys. In an effort to not get crushed, everyone jumped or rolled out of the way. Beast and Sora ran to attack her head, but she unleased a stream of yellow-greenish fire. Donald used his water magic to put it out, making a way for them. Once her fire was gone, Maleficent spun around, using her tail to try and sweep them away. Goofy stepped up this time. He used his shield to protect everyone from her tail. He managed to hold her off for a few moments before the weight of her tail finally sent him flying back.

"Goofy!" Everyone yelled.

Beast ran over and caught Goofy before he hit the ground.

"Gee, thanks Beast."

"_**No problem, Goofy."**_

"Now you're going to get it." Sora glared as he ran towards her.

She opened her mouth to try and bite him, but Sora rolled out of the way and struck her on the side of her face. She screamed in pain before more fire. Everyone ran around, trying to avoid the fire. When she finally stopped spraying her fire, Beast went to climb her back, making sure to dig his claws into her as he traveled up her back and to her head. The dragon hollered in pain at the feeling of Beast's claws digging into her. In an attempt to get him off of her, she raised on her back legs and started shaking her head. Beast tried to hold on, but he slipped and fell onto the hard ground. He grunted when he felt his back hit the floor. He wanted to believe ne broke something, or at least snapped something, but he couldn't worry about that. Defeating Maleficent was his main priority. As he tried to get up, Maleficent raised onto her back legs again before coming down.

Sore rushed into action. Just in time, he was able to get Beast out of the way, barely missing a claw catching him on his leg. When he came away unharmed, he turned his attention to Beast.

"You ok?"

"_**Yes. I will be fine. My back hurts a little bit, but I will be ok."**_ Beast nodded.

"Donald! Come heal Beast! Goofy, you're with me!" Sora ordered. Donald and Goofy ran over to the duo. Donald went to work healing Beast's back while Goofy paid attention to Sora's orders. "Alright Goofy, we're going to hit her and we're going to hit her hard. You ready?"

"Ready and willing!" Goofy saluted.

Sora nodded before they went to work. They called out the old dragon, distracting her while Donald healed Beast. They rolled and dodged out of the way every time she tried to attack them or send fire their way. When she moved to swing her tail at them again, Goofy grabbed onto her tail and held on tight.

"Hold her right there, Goofy!" Sora called out before he used a red gem to summon Mushu.

"Hey! How ya doing, Sora?! How's my main Keyblade user?! And where is your _**fine **_counterpart. Last time I didn't get the pleasure to meet _**all **_of her, if you get my drift." Mushu winked with a wide smile.

"I'll ask you about that later, but for now I need your help."

"No problem, ma brown haired compodre. What is it that you need from the all-powerful Mushu?" Sora pointed towards Maleficent, and watched as Mushu shrieked before running and hiding in his hood. "You know, I'd like to help, but I think Mulan needs me more. In fact, I think I hear her calling me now."

"That's the thing, she's actually here with the other Princesses and Ke'Ania. Maleficent and the other villains kidnapped them all and brought them here. And that dragon over there is the head of all of it." Sora explained.

"What?! Why didn't you say that before?! Tell me what I got to do to send this glorified lizard back to where she came from?" Mushu said, still from Sora's hood.

"I need your fire power to increase my fireball attack. I'm thinking that sending a little fire power her way might be enough to defeat her." Sora suggested.

"Oh believe me, my fire power will be more enough to send her on her way. Just leave it to me." Mushu said before jumping out of Sora's hood and wrapping himself around Sora's Keyblade.

Both males focused their fire magic into the tip of the Keyblade. Soon, a spark of fire began to form until a giant fireball was at the edge of it. Mushu held on as tight as he could while Sora ran towards Maleficent. When he was close enough, Sora jumped high into the air, giving a mighty yell, and threw the fireball at the dragon.

"Take that ya evil witch! Good job Sora!" Mushu smiled while giving a thumbs up.

"Don't congratulate me just yet." Sora sighed slightly. When the smoke cleared, Maleficent was still standing with barely any injuries. "Shit. Now what?" He cursed.

That's when something came to mind. He thought about what happened when Beast climbed her back and thought about trying something similar to that.

"I think I have an idea." Sora said before using another gem to summon Simba.

"Sora? What's going on?" Simba asked once he was fully summoned.

"I'll explain later. Right now, I need your help to defeat Maleficent."

"I'll do what I can." Simba nodded.

"Beast! Donald! Goofy! Come here!" Sora yelled.

Donald used some of his water and fire magic to create enough steam to cover them from Maleficent's sight before running over to meet everyone.

"Beast and Simba, I need you two to climb Maleficent's back again. But, this time, I want you two to hold onto her as much as you can. When she raises on her back legs, jump off. I'm going to use my Keyblade to finish her off." Sora announced.

Beast and Simba nodded before running towards her back to carry out the plan.

"What do you want us to do?" Donald asked.

"I want you, Goofy and Mushu to distract her while Beast and Simba do their part. Now hurry."

Donald, Goofy, and, Mushu nodded before racing off. Sora went to hide in a corner and readied his lightning magic.

While Donald, Goofy, and Mushu were busy distracting her, Simba and Beast began climbing her back, digging their claws into her as they headed for her head. Maleficent hollered in pain and raised on her back legs to try and throw them off again. When this happened, Beast grabbed Simba and jumped off. This was Sora's cue. He yelled as he ran towards Maleficent, lightning covering his Keyblade, and, before she could slam her claws onto the ground, Sora threw his Keyblade at her chest and cheered when it hit. Maleficent hollered again, louder than the last time, as the lightning coursed throughout her body before finally stopping her heart. When her heart stopped, Sora called back his Keyblade and everyone jumped out of the way as Maleficent's lifeless body fell to the floor and disappeared, leaving nothing but her cloak behind.

"We did it! Who's bad?! We bad!" Mushu cheered.

"Now that that's over, will someone please explain to me what is going on?" Simba asked.

"The dragon we just defeated was Maleficent. She is the reason that the worlds have disappeared and all the princesses, Ke'Ania, and my friends are being held here. We're trying to save them and seal the keyhole. Apparently, the keyhole here is where all of the Heartless are coming from. Sealing it will save all of the worlds and restore all of the worlds again. I hope." Sora explained.

"That makes sense. So where are the princesses, Ke'Ania, and your friends?" Simba questioned.

"We don't know yet, but they are close. I can feel it." Sora answered.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's rescue them and get the hell out of here. If anything happens to Mulan, the Ancestors will take away my pedestal and I can't let that happen." Mushu said as he hopped on Simba's back.

"Pedestal? Ancestors? What's that all about?" Simba asked.

"A long story we don't have time for right now. Once we rescue everyone, I'll tell you." Mushu sighed as he patted the lion's head.

"Come on everyone. We have a mission to complete." Sora commanded.

…

…

…

When they went through the portal they entered through, they returned to the Grand Hall room, one of the walls disappeared and reviled a secret passageway. The group of six followed the hallway until they reached another set of double doors. After Sora and Beast opened the doors, everyone gasped at what they saw. Lining the walls were containers that held all of the captured princesses.

"_**Belle."**_ Beast said as he walked over to her container. _**"I'm so sorry Belle. I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you, but I'm here now and I promise to get you out if it's the last thing I do."**_

"Mulan?!" Mushu called as he led Simba over to her container. "Oh your ancestors are going to kill me. Simba, you have to help me get her out."

"I will try." Simba said before he went to work trying to hack away at the container.

Donald, Goofy, and Sora looked around the room. They all saw all of the princesses, but they didn't see Ke'Ania or Kairi. That's when they saw a heart shaped keyhole on a high alter. Figuring the girls had to be up there, the trio ran up the stairs. But, when they reached the top, barrier was placed, stopping Goofy from entering and knocking him out. Donald tried to help him, but it was no use. Sora, completely oblivious to what happened to his friends, looked around until he saw Kairi laying on the ground.

"Kairi!" He yelled before running over to her and trying to shake her awake. "Please open your eyes Kairi. Please."

"_**Useless girl."**_ A familiar voice said.

Sora looked up to see 'Riku' sitting on a set of boulders surrounding the Keyhole. Sora put Kairi down to glare up at his enemy.

"What have you done to her and Riku? And where is Ke'Ania? Who exactly are you? Answer me!" He yelled as he summoned his Keyblade.

"_**Hn. Impatient I see. Very well. I will give you all the answers you require."**_ 'Riku' said before jumping off and landing in front of the keyhole. _**'My name is Ansem, The Seeker of Darkness. I am the one that heard Riku's jealousy of you and answered his prayers. I am the one that gave him his dark powers and his Keyblade. But, he was too power hungry and that allowed me to take over him. It's actually quite funny. He did all of this for one girl. Too bad she won't be around to appreciate everything he's done for her."**_ He smirked at his last sentence before making Ke'Ania appear.

Sora gasped as he saw the condition she was in. Her eyes were half lid, her irises were white, her head was bowed and she was bound to a wall. She looked unconscious and completely helpless. This caused Sora's blood to boil further.

"Let her go!" He yelled.

"_**I'm afraid I cannot do that. You can have Kairi, but I cannot allow you to take Ke'Ania until she has fulfilled her duty."**_

"What are you talking about? What duty does she have?" Sora asked.

"_**Both of them were Pure Heart Princesses, as you already know. The reason we needed them was because we're going to use them to unlock this keyhole. Once this keyhole has been unlocked, I will flood all of the worlds with darkness and bleed them dry until there is nothing left. The reason I needed both of them was because both of them hold a special power that over powered all of the other princesses. With the two of them together, I would have no issue finding the door to Light and destroying it until nothing is left. But, that stupid girl over there messed everything up. Because of her feelings for you and Ke'Ania, she dismissed her powers and now they're floating in the universe somewhere. It wasn't a total lost. As long as we still had Ke'Ania then all everything would still fall into place. But, she's too resilient. I have yet to unlock her heart, but it'll only be a matter of time before I finally get through to her. I'll just have to wait her out."**_ Ansem smirked. _**"But, I may not have to. Her heart and yours is intertwined. If I bring you close to death, then she will wake up and I will be able to steal her heart. Now, be a good boy and help me unlock Ke'Ania's heart."**_

Ansem pointed his Keyblade towards Sora. He felt his heart sting, making him fall to his knees. At the same time, Ke'Ania's chest began to glow.

"Sora?! Sora are you ok?!" Donald asked.

"What's happening?" Sora panted.

"_**Just as I figured. With your hearts being intertwined, Ke'Ania's heart responds when you're around. But, it will respond even more and become active the more danger you are in. Now, allow me to dispose of you and unlock Ke'Ania's heart."**_

"Not on my watch!" Donald yelled as he ran towards Ansem.

But, when he reached him, Ansem used his dark power to send Donald flying to the other side of the alter, knocking him out. When he reached Sora, Ansem raised his Keyblade above his head.

"_**There's no use of escaping. Now, surrender!"**_

Running through Sora's mind was all the failure that he faced during his travels. He also thought that he was going to die right in this moment. But, when the words, the moments, the kisses he shared with Ke'Ania began to run through his mind, Sora realized something important to him. Just when Ansem was about to bring his Keyblade down on Sora, the brunette summoned his Keyblade and collided it with Ansem's.

"_**What the~"**_

"Ansem, I don't care what it takes. I don't even care if I die here today. All I know is that if I have to die, then I'm going to save my friends and everyone first! I came here to rescue everyone and all the worlds. But, in order for that to happen, I have to defeat you and seal that keyhole. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. I promise, right here, right now, I will save everyone. And you're coming with me!" Sora yelled as he used his strength to push against Ansem and break their hold.

With the force of Sora's strength, Ansem was pushed back towards the keyhole and away from him and Kairi. He knew that if he wanted to protect Kairi and Ke'Ania, then he had to keep Ansem away from them. That was the only mission playing in his mind at the moment.

"_**Hn. So you think you can defeat me? I'd like to see you try, peon."**_

Both men ran towards each other. Ansem swung across, but Sora used his Keyblade to block it before kicking Ansem in his side. When Ansem hunched over from the kick, Sora brought his Keyblade down. Ansem was able to get out of the way, but was nicked in his arm by the strike. Not paying attention to his suit regenerating itself, Ansem summoned his dark powers to his hand and began sending white blades at Sora. The brunette used his Keyblade to deflect most of them, but the ones he couldn't deflect, he had to dodge by rolling out of the way. When he was clear for an attack, Sora added lightning to his blade and threw it at Ansem. The villain moved to the side to dodge it, but was caught off guard when Sora punched him in the face. As Ansem stumbled back, Sora caught his Keyblade and hit Ansem in his right arm. Ansem yelled in pain as he felt the lightning surge through his arm. Using this as an opportunity to strike again, Sora used his left hand to shot fireballs at his opponent. Ansem had time to barely dodge any of them and managed to get burned by the last one.

"Had enough?" Sora smirked while lightly panting.

"_**I'm just getting started."**_

With a final pant, Ansem stood up and summoned his dark powers to his blade. With his power ready, Ansem lite up before rushing at him at blinding speed. Sora moved out of the way for the first one, but was wounded and spun around when Ansem struck him from different sides with the same speed. Sora yelled, hissed, groaned, and grunted every time Ansem struck. Confused when he lost track of his opponent for two seconds, Sora looked down to see Ansem emerging from below him. He was able to run out of the way, but he tripped, barely escaping the dark blast that was sent his way.

"_**You fool. You're going to die by my hands. You cannot match the power of Darkness."**_ Ansem laughed as Sora tried to stand up.

The boy was tired, exhausted almost. He was basically running on adrenaline, but he had to do whatever it took to defeat Ansem and save everyone. He couldn't put anyone's life in danger. He had to finish this battle on his own.

"_**Look at you. You're pathetic. You can barely stand on your own two legs." **_Without a second to lose, Ansem rushed at Sora. In time to stop his attack, Sora used his Keyblade to block his attack, keeping them in a deadlock._** "Just give in boy and I promise to take it easy on you."**_

"I will never give into you." Sora glared back as he tried to hold his own against the powerful villain.

It was at this moment that Kairi heard voices, bringing her back to reality. She slowly opened her eyes and began to look around. She took in her surroundings and remembered what happened. She remembered how Maleficent called her useless. She remembered being told she wasn't a Pure Heart Princess anymore. She remembers Ke'Ania, the fight they had and her being chained to a wall. And, the last thing she remembered was being knocked out. Confused and feeling a headache form because of her confusion and anger, Kairi slowly sat up while holding her head. Hearing more grunting and voices, Kairi looked around and saw that Sora was fighting 'Riku'. She noticed that 'Riku' looked different, but what caught her attention was how badly wounded and weak Sora looked.

"Sora!" She yelled out in concern.

This caused Sora to look back and see that Kairi had woken up.

"Kairi?" He called back.

Deciding to use this distraction, Ansem added more force behind his hold and caused Sora to become unbalanced before kicking him towards the left side of the alter.

"Sora!" Kairi shouted as she watched her beloved scrape across the ground.

Sora tried to get up, but stopped when Ansem stood before him with his Keyblade pointed at Sora's face. What got Ansem off was the fear, panic and anxiety that showed on the boy's face as a bead of sweat dripped from his forehead.

"_**You see, that is why you will ever defeat me. You are nothing but a fool. It is because you allowed this worthless girl to distract you, you were caught off guard and now I have the perfect opportunity to kill you."**_ Ansem chuckled darkly.

"What have you done to Sora? Why are you acting this way, Riku?" Kairi asked, fear laced in her voice.

"_**Stupid girl. Riku is no longer here. I have taken over his body and will now kill this boy, unlock the keyhole, and destroy the Realm of Light for good!"**_ Ansem laughed.

"You better leave Sora alone! I won't let you hurt him!" She said as she stood up.

"No Kairi, run for it! I can handle him, just go!" Sora ordered.

"I won't leave you." She said before running towards them. She stood between them with her arms outstretched. "You'll have to kill me before getting to him." She glared.

Ansem continued to chuckle. _**"You humans amuse me with your stupidity. First, you're upset over the fact you are considered useless and now you're trying to protect someone who does not feel the same about you? You are quite the fool. But, I can see right through you. I can see the selfishness that resides within you. I can see that you're only doing this to get Sora to love you instead of Ke'Ania. How sad. You cling to hope where it is not found. You are truly pathetic."**_

Her arms wavered a little bit. Ansem was right. She only wanted to protect Sora because of how she felt towards him and because she thought that maybe he would begin to love her instead of Ke'Ania. All this time, she believed that the only reason Sora loved Ke'Ania was because she protected him all this time. She was jealous because she spent time with him that she couldn't. She felt cheated and figured that this was the beginning to right the injustice that Ke'Ania caused.

"_**It's ok child. Allow me to put you out of your misery."**_

Ansem was about to strike Kairi, but Sora pushed her out of the way and took the stab to his abdomen. He gasped as he felt the blade pierce through his abdomen deeply. He was pretty sure that some of his vital organs were hit, but he was in shock to really care.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled as she got up and ran towards him.

As Kairi ran over to her beloved, Ansem pulled out his blade and stepped back, watching as some blood began to poor out of his wound. Kairi began to cry as she held him close. Not a word was said as Sora felt his life slip away. It was coming faster than he thought it would. His vision and hearing was fading him. The only thing he could see was Ke'Ania still chained to the wall across from him. With the last of his strength, Sora raised his hand to reach other for Ke'Ania.

"Ke'Ania…" He struggled to say before his arm fell and his heart beat slowed.

Sora's struggle call woken Ke'Ania from her slumber. Everyone turned to see Ke'Ania's chest glow brighter until a red energy surround her, burning off the chains, and freed her. She looked around and saw 'Riku', Kairi, and an almost dead Sora laying on the ground.

"Sora!" She yelled before running over to him.

She reached for him, the energy that stills surrounded burned both Ansem and Kairi, causing them to step away from them.

Donald and Goofy had finally woken up and was able to pass through Ansem's barriers because of Ke'Ania's power. They ran over to the couple and kneeled beside them.

"Is Sora ok?" Goofy asked.

"No, you idiot! He's hurt! Oh Sora." Donald sighed sadly.

"Sora? Sora? Answer me?" When he wouldn't and Ke'Ania felt the last beats of his heart, Ke'Ania added some energy to her hand and placed it on his chest. "Don't you die on me Sora! Don't you die!"

By adding more and more energy into his body, Ke'Ania was able to get his heart to return to its regular beat and all of his wounds began to heal. She was only glad that she had gotten to him before his heart stopped. One more second and she wouldn't have been able to bring him back. She cannot raise the dead. That was not her ability. But, she has great healing abilities. Using this ability of hers, Ke'Ania was determined to save Sora no matter the cost. Both Kairi and Ansem stared at the long haired girl in amazement. When all of his wounds were healed, Sora took a deep breath before slowly opening his eyes. He looked around and saw Ke'Ania, Donald and Goofy above him.

"Ke'Ania? You're awake?" He whispered.

She felt tears come to her eyes as she held him close. "Oh Sora. Thought I's lost you. I'm so glad you're ok."

"You had us worried there, Sora." Goofy smiled.

"Yeah. Don't scare us like that." Donald grumbled, pretending to be upset.

Kairi watched the display in disgust and anger. She kept thinking that she should be standing where Ke'Ania was. She kept thinking about all of her anger for her rival. She was taking Sora from her and, as the universe as her witness, she would have him back. One way or another.

Everyone's thoughts and the moment was interrupted by the sounds of Ansem clapping his hands.

"_**Very interesting. I knew that you had hidden abilities, but I had no idea they were this impressive. I knew you were the one."**_

This caused Ke'Ania to turn around and glare at Ansem with red eyes.

"Who are you? Were you the one who did this? What have you done with Riku? What's going on here?" She asked with a hard glare.

"_**Allow me to explain. My name is Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. I am the one caused all of this to happen. I am the one that has been controlling the Darkness this whole time. All those other villains, especially Maleficent, were nothing more than pawns in my overall plan. Just like you all. But, you're the one I really wanted. I've been waiting on the day I finally get to meet you."**_

"Why? What could you want with me, besides wanting to use me to unlock the keyhole?" Ke'Ania asked.

"_**Simple. It's because you are my daughter. Ke'Ania, I am your father."**_

This news caused everyone to gasp at the news.

"Ke'Ania? Is he really your father?" Goofy asked.

"No. There's no way. How could you be my father? I don't have parents." Ke'Ania said, distress in her voice.

"_**Correction. You don't know your parents. Actually, you didn't know your father. Your mother died while giving birth to you. After you were born, you were cursed with a 'gift', if you will and I didn't want to deal with it. So I abandoned you and left for another world. But, after reading up on your 'gift' and finally understanding how I could benefit from you, I decided to try and track you down. I have watched your power and strength grow to heights I didn't know you could. I'm proud of you, daughter."**_

This caused Ke'Ania's blood to boil. She placed Sora on the ground and stood up, facing her 'father'. _**"You're going to tell me everything I need to know. Why was I cursed with this 'gift'? What is my purpose in life? Where are my friends? What exactly is this 'gift'?"**_

"_**Your mother was the queen of our world, Demon Dreamer Town, and I was its king. Your late aunt wanted the world to be ruled under her, so she sent her 'pet' to destroy it. I, along with the Elders of our world, took on a defeated both of them. But, we could not defeat her 'pet'. So, we had to seal it away. But, before we were able to, you were cursed by it. I told your mother to get rid of you. That way it would be gone out of our lives. But, she wanted to keep you and gave up her life so you could live. I, and the Elders, tried to kill you, despite your mother's wishes, but you were protected and thus you lived. Deciding not to deal with any of it, I escaped the world by faking by death. I didn't care what happened to you. As long as you were out of my way, who was I to care. But, when I returned to study more about your curse, I found something interesting. You, Ke'Ania, are one of four Gifted Princesses. If someone were to get a hold of all four of you, then they could rule the world and be unstoppable. That's why I wanted you and Kairi. Both of you somehow contain three of the four. All I had to do was fid the fourth one and I was in business. But, when stupid Kairi announced her hatred for you all because of that boy, the power within her disappeared. Leaving on you who had two of the four. But that doesn't matter. I will still take yours and the other one before chasing the other two down."**_ Ansem explained.

It was a lot to take in, but she couldn't digest it at the moment. She had to focus on killing him and helping Sora rescue everyone. She summoned her Keyblades and held them in her hands.

"_**I don't care who you are. Father or not, I will not let you hurt anyone anymore. I will stop you, even if I have to do it alone."**_

"_**That spirit. You're just like your mother. Annoying."**_

"_**SHUT UP!"**_ Ke'Ania yelled. _**"Just shut the hell up before I slice your throat wide open!"**_

"_**Idle threats. Now be a good little princess and unlock your heart so the keyhole can be unlocked and the rest of the princesses' hearts came be released."**_

"What do you mean released? Where are they?" Sora asked as he moved to stand up next to Ke'Ania.

"_**When Maleficent placed them into their containers and their hearts showed us the keyhole, they exited their bodies. But, because Ke'Ania wouldn't unlock her heart, they had nowhere to go. So, they divided in half. Half of the princesses' hearts went into Sora's Keyblade and the rest went into Ke'Ania's. And, until Ke'Ania's Lovely Keyblade. But, the question is, if you do not plan on unlocking your heart, then what will you do, daughter? Will you keep the princesses' hearts and just let the Heartless run wide? Or will you help me in ending the suffering of universe. The choice is yours."**_

Ke'Ania thought about what Ansem said and decided that he was right. If she didn't unleash her heart, then the other princesses will never get theirs back and she would only be stalling everyone else's pain in the universe. There was nothing she could do. There was no way out of this. Sighing in defeat, Ke'Ania lowered her guard and let her Keyblades hang on her sides.

With blue eyes, Ke'Ania spoke. "Ansem, you wi~"

"Wait Ke'Ania. Before you give up. There's something you need to know." Sora spoke, gaining everyone's attention. "I came all this way to rescue you with friends of ours. All I could think about was how much you needed me to rescue you and how it was our job to save everyone. That strength was what kept me going. So please Ke'Ania. Don't give up. We can defeat him, together."

His words gave Ke'Ania her strength back. With a smile and green eyes, Ke'Ania took up her stance again and was ready to fight.

"Thank you, Sora."

"Hold on! You're not fighting without us." Donald said.

"Yeah. We're in this together, all four of us." Goofy agreed.

"_**Fools! I'll take you all on!"**_ Ansem yelled.

Ansem rushed towards them. Ke'Ania used her Keyblades to block his attack. Sora, Donald and Goofy used this opportunity to attack him. Ansem used his feet to fend off against Donald and Goofy, but he couldn't dodge Sora's attack. Sora snuck up behind Ansem and sliced down his back. Ansem grunted in pain as he felt Sora's blade against his back. He released his hold against Ke'Ania to swing at Sora. Sora blocked it, giving Ke'Ania enough time to attack.

She came up behind him and was about to swing her Keyblades, but Ansem slipped from between them, causing Ke'Ania to fall and Sora to catch her. Ansem went to attack them, but Goofy protected them while Donald shot ice icicles at him. Ansem had his hands full with dealing with all four of them. It was more than he had thought. All of them were basically at full strength and he was still recovering from his battle with Sora. He knew he might lose this one. But, he had to survive long enough to escape and transform into his final form. If he could do that, then he would be fine.

Devising a plan to escape or try and win this fight, Ansem summoned some of his dark powers to his Keyblade. He pulled the same speeding attack on them that he did with Sora. But, it failed when Ke'Ania summoned some of her powers to he hands and slammed them on the ground. A red barrier appeared, protecting them. So when Ansem ran into the barrier, he got burned horribly from her powers coming into contact with them. Severely weakened and only having enough energy to make a portal, Ansem did just that.

'_**I'll get you back for this."**_He said before disappearing into the portal.

"Damn. He's gone." Ke'Ania cursed.

"Look! The keyhole is malfunctioning." Goofy warned.

"It's still not finished. It needs both of our hearts and the hearts of the princesses to complete it." Sora informed.

"But how? How are we going to unlock it?" Ke'Ania asked.

"Hey, what about what Ansem said earlier?" Donald asked.

"What are you talking about? What did Ansem say earlier?" Kairi asked.

"Oh, I remember. He was telling me how there are multiple Keyblades throughout the universe with different functions. Your Yin-yang Keyblade was meant to keep balance throughout the universe while your Lovely Keyblade can unlock hearts and return them to their owners' safely. That's it! All you have to do is use your Lovely Keyblade to unlock the keyhole." Sora suggested.

"What about you? Can yours unlock hearts?" Ke'Ania asked.

"I don't think so. But, I have an alternative." Sora smiled while holding Ansem's Keyblade.

"Alright. So, you two know what to do. How are you going to do it?" Kairi questioned with her hands on her hips.

Sora and Ke'Ania looked at each other. Sora made a jester and Ke'Ania felt fear running through her. "You're not serious?"

"It's the only way I can think of. It's also the only way that makes sense." Sora shrugged.

"Well, if you say so. I guess it's worth a try." Ke'Ania sighed.

Moving both Keyblades into one hand, Sora walked over to Ke'Ania and laced their fingers together with a reassuring smile. "It'll be ok. Just promise that we'll bring each other back?"

Ke'Ania looked at her beloved with wide, purple and blue eyes before smiling back. "Promise."

"What's going on? What are you too doing?" Donald asked.

The couple turned towards the group with sad smiles and their Keyblades ready.

"Take care of everyone." Sora said.

"Yeah. We'll be back. We promise." Ke'Ania nodded.

And with that, Sora and Ke'Ania turned to face each other. Sora had both his Keyblade and Ansem's raised while Ke'Ania had hers. They whispered a final 'I love you', ignoring everyone's pleas to not do what they were getting ready to do, and finally stabbed themselves in their chests.

Once the Keyblades touched their chests, their bodies and the Keyblades began to glow brightly. Both Ansem and Sora's Keyblade disappeared, reveling six of the twelve princesses' hearts and his heart. Ke'Ania's did the same. When all of the hearts were exposed, the keyhole activated and was finally completed. The twelve hearts flew off to the lower part of the room and back into the princesses' chests, shocking Beast, Mushu and Simba. The only hearts that remained were Ke'Ania and Sora's. Everyone watched as both the hearts spilt apart so there were two broken hearts floating above them. On Ke'Ania's heart there was a 'K' and 'R' written on them. On Sora's 'S' and 'R' was written on his. The two 'R' pieces combined to form one heart before it split into two and flew off into different parts of the universe. The other pieces, the 'K' and 'S' pieces did the same before both pieces were consumed by darkness. Once all the heart pieces were gone, Ke'Ania and Sora's bodies began to fall. Donald and Goofy raced to try and catch Ke'Ania's body while Kairi tried to catch Sora's. But, when they touched the couple's bodies, they disappeared into glowing lights. Tears began to fall down their cheeks when the trio realized that both of them were gone.

"Come back! Ke'Ania! Sora! Come back!" Donald cried.

"Sora?! No! I won't let him go!" Kairi yelled.

"_**What's going on here?"**_

Everyone turned around to see all the princesses, Beast, Mushu, Simba, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cloud running up the stairs towards them.

"Leon, Ke'Ania and Sora are gone." Goofy cried.

"What do you mean they're gone?" Yuffie asked.

"They used their Keyblades and Ansem's Keyblade to unleashed everyone's hearts and complete the keyhole." Donald explained with a sad tone.

"You mean, they gave their lives to save us? No…" Pocahontas whispered.

Everyone in the room lowered their heads out of respect for their gone friends. But that moment was interrupted by Ansem when he entered the room in his full form.

"_**I knew that they would eventually do it. I'm proud of them."**_

'It's Ansem the Wise." Aerith gasped with her hands over her mouth. But, when she looked closer, she saw that he wasn't the same Ansem she remembered. "Wait a minute. You're not Ansem the wise. Who are you?"

"_**I am a lot of things, but Ansem the Wise is not one of them. You may know me as one of his apprentices. I used to go by the name of Xehanort."**_

Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie gasped when they heard the name.

"What's the matter? You know this man?" Snow White asked.

"Yes. Ansem the Wise was the sage-king of our old world, Radiant Garden. He was the one that studied all the worlds and compiled a report on everything. Xehanort was one of his most trusted apprentices. Together, they helped with the understanding of all the worlds, Keyblades, keyholes, Heartlesses, etc. But after our world disappeared, we thought everyone died. How did you survive?" Leon asked.

"_**I was the one that destroyed everything. I killed the old man. I was the one who let the Heartless take over the world. I was also the one to kill the other apprentices and fake my own death. Ansem the Wise knew of my plan and tried to stop me, but he was a fool to try and challenge me. You all are. Now that the keyhole is opened, I can dispose of you all and flood the worlds."**_ Ansem smirked as he walked closer to the group.

"Don't you dare take another step." Yuffie warned as she readied her ninja stars.

Beast, Donald, Goofy, Leon, and Yuffie readied themselves for a fight, causing Ansem to laugh at their antics.

"_**You honestly think you can defeat me? I'll show you all just how foolish you are."**_ Ansem started walking towards them again, but stopped when his body stopped responding. _**"That damned boy! How is he doing this?!"**_

Everyone was confused until Riku manifested in a glowing light.

"Riku?" Kairi called out.

"I will not be used for this." He grunted as he tried to hold Ansem back with his outstretched arms. "Go! You all need to leave here! The Heartless are coming and they're stronger than ever! I will try to hold them off as long as I can, but it won't be for very long. You all must go now!"

"I think we should listen to the boy." Cinderella said.

Everyone agreed. "Thank you." Aurora nodded.

"Come on. Cid is waiting for us in the Gummi Ship!" Cloud announced.

"Whoever can't fit in Cid's will come with us!" Donald ordered.

Everyone began to run for their lives. Sora and Ke'Ania wanted them to protect everyone and that's what they were going to do.

…

…

…

**To Be Continued…**

…**.**

**Next Time on **_**'Secret Kingdom Hearts'**_**…**

Ke'Ania and Sora come back.


	44. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**THIS IS IN AFFECT FROM NOW UNTIL ****AFTER ****JUNE 17, 2014**

***IMPORTANT NOTE***

Hello all! I just wanted to apologize for not being able to update lately. My school days are almost over and my job has been getting intense because I've been working with incompetent people who show how much they don't want to work and I have to pick up the slack while also dealing with studying for finals. People don't respect that I want to sit down and write fanfiction all day. Also, another reason I have not been able to update is because **ALL **of next week, I will be moving all of my stuff out of my on-campus room and packing for my summer vacation to Arizona and Georgia. As I am typing this note, I am actually sitting in my ethnic studies class (discussing Avril Leven? musical video 'Hello Kitty') before walking to my doctor's appointment. So, as you can see, I literally have **NO **time to myself. So, I apologize for not being able to post like I had planned or said I would.

Another thing I would like to comment on is how grateful I am to have fans waiting on me and staying with me through this time and waiting for my updates. I may not be able to always deliver, but when I do I make sure to have everything ready for my fans. Thank you guys. Also ask for you please stay with me until I can finally go back to updating.

The last thing I have to say is that, because of everything going on (working more hours, studying for finals, and preparing to move off campus for the summer), I will not being able to update until I come back from Georgia. The good thing is that I will not be staying in Georgia for very long and will have my writing notes in my room, ready for me to keep updating my four current stories. So, again I'm very sorry to have to send another note like this out, but it has to be done. If you have anything to say, I honestly don't care what is said but you're free to say it, and I may or may not respond.


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